


The Sisters of Arendelle

by Caunion



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Drama, Emotional Struggles, F/F, Incest, Political Thriller, Romance, Sibling Incest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-23
Updated: 2015-04-02
Packaged: 2018-01-09 17:01:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 85,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1148576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caunion/pseuds/Caunion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two weeks after the coronation, things in Arendelle are approaching to a sense of normalcy or as normal as possible. Queen Elsa settles into her duties as queen and elder sister while Princess Anna explores both within herself and the world outside the castle. To their pleasant surprise, they discover a deeper connection beyond that of sisterhood between themselves. Meanwhile a old enemy, disgraced by the family who disowned him, looks for an opportunity to both redeem himself and avenge himself upon the sisters who caused his plight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you [hybrid-rain](http://hybrid-rain.tumblr.com/) for being an amazing sounding board and the sparks of inspiration.

“Presenting His Highness, Prince Hans of House Westerguard.”

Hans strode into the throne room with as much as pride and dignity as he could possibly muster in his situation, his wrists shackled and soldiers on either side of him. Never, not even during his childhood, had he been as humiliated as he was in his misadventures in Arendelle. All of his meticulous planning foiled by something as absurd as true love, by the adolescent Ice Queen and her bumbling fool of a princess. He thought being punched by said princess was the worst of his troubles. But after being carted in the brig of the French vessel to the Southern Isles, subjected to the jeers and taunts of the sailors, he had found his eldest brother, Frederik, waiting for him at the docks with a retinue of soldiers. The moment he saw his tall noble figure standing before him, Hans knew he had little chance for clemency. That had been two weeks ago. Since then he was imprisoned in one of the more comfortable dungeons while he waited for his fate. And now it seemed it was the day his judgment came.

As Crown Prince, Frederik stood closest to the throne. The rest of his brothers were gathered around the dais on which the throne sat on. On either side of the path he walked on stood the courtiers, the detestable sycophants. Some of them he recognised, those that he had helped in exchange for their support. He doubted he would find any from them now. And in front of him, seated above them, all was his father, King Christian of the Southern Isles. The years have slowly took their toll against him but he remained as intimidating as he ever did, gazing down at him with a stern look.

When Hans arrived at the foot of the dais, he did what he knew he had to do. He knelt in front of the throne, the throne that would never be his, and uttered, “Your Majesty.” But as he stood to rise, his father’s voice boomed, “Did we give you leave to rise, Prince Hans?”

Immediately he went back to his knees and said, “No, Your Majesty.” He gritted his teeth as he heard the wisps of stifled laughter from among the court. 

“You disappoint us, boy,” he continued. “Youngest of our children you may be, we had hoped that you would, at least, display some of the resourcefulness and cleverness your elder brothers have possessed.  Instead, we hear you have been defeated in Arendelle, one of the most insignificant kingdoms in the civilised world, and by two girls, no less.”

“Your Majesty, it was not my fault,” Hans quickly said. “It was…”

“Silence! We have neither the patience nor the desire to listen to your excuses. Do you remember when you came before us in this very room, in front of this court? When you told us that you would return with a kingdom in your hands? Were those not your words?”

Hans suppressed a sigh as he reluctantly said to the ground below him, “They were, Your Majesty.”

“And instead, what do you come home with? _Nothing_. No, not nothing. You brought dishonour and disgrace upon our name, our house, and our kingdom. We have become the laughing stock of all of Europe. Imagine the embarrassment we felt when we received word of your humiliation abroad. Your mother did not give birth to you so you could proceed to shame both her and our ancestors.”

“Your Majesty, please…” he tried but again his father interrupted.

“Your brother, Frederik, will go to Arendelle to repair the damage you have caused in our name. While we doubt even they would ever be amiable to us again, a possibility still remains that they will accept our apologies. However we have no illusions that this is a defeat the Southern Isles may never recover from for years and certainly not within our time. Which brings us as to what we should do to you.”

Hans stayed silent as he wondered what fate his father had in store for him.

“Some of your brothers argued we send you back to Arendelle as a hostage to ensure them they should not expect any further trouble from us. Others suggested we imprison you indefinitely in one of our towers. Had you lived in the time when we were your age, you would have been beheaded in the public square and regained your honour through death. But it seems we have grown soft in our old age.”

 _Wait, what?_ Hans thought. Was he actually going to get another chance? Or…

“Prince Hans of House Westerguard, the Fifth of his name,” Christian said, “I, Christian of House Westerguard, the Seventh of his name, King of the Southern Isles, hereby order you banished from the Kingdom of the Southern Isles and all of its dominions.”

“No, wait,” Hans said, his feeble voice overpowered by his father’s.

“I strip you of your titles, ranks, and lands, your claim to the throne, and your house.”

“Just give me another chance, please,” he pleaded in vain.

“Be gone, Hans, for you are no son of mine.”

“Father, no, please…” he begged as he craned his head up to look at his father. There was no sign of mercy on his face yet there was no sign of rage either. In fact there was no sign of any emotion at all.  It was if his father saw his banishment as insignificant as the dealings of a fishmonger.  His brothers expressed mixed reactions. Some showed glee at their youngest brother’s humiliation. One or two even showed a silver of pity yet did nothing to defy their father’s will. But the rest were as impassive as the king.

Frederik descended down the dais as the guards pulled Hans from the ground and dragged him, his boots scrapping against the floor. Hans looked at his eldest brother as they walked under the furious mutterings of the court, looking for any sign of fraternal sympathy.

“Frederik, please,” he said. “Tell Father that this was only a mistake. That it won’t happen again. I can make it better. I can prove my worth. I just need more time.” But his brother shook his head.

“The King’s word is law, Hans,” he said. “There is a ship, the _Eksile_ , waiting at the docks. It will take you anywhere you wish to go outside our domains. In addition to what belongings you took to Arendelle, you have a small chest of gold, enough to establish yourself with modest comfort and make your own fortune. Upon arriving at your destination, the _Eksile_ will immediately sail back home.”

They reached the threshold of the throne room when Frederik said, “And one more thing.”

Hans looked at him and saw his brother’s cold glare piercing him. It was like seeing his father’s eyes again.

“If you ever show your face in the Southern Isles again, I will kill you myself.” And with that, the door slammed in his face, leaving him seething in rage. He angrily shouldered off the guards’ grip over him and walked towards the docks, his mind working furiously to conjure a plan while clouded by his rage. Rage against the injustice of his father, the apathy of his brothers, and, what burned the hottest, against the royal sisters of Arendelle. It was _their_ fault his plans fell apart, _their_ fault he was forced to return empty handed, _their_ fault his father and brothers were so mad at him. He clenched his fists at the thought to the point his nails nearly broke through the gloves. If he had to, he would burn the entire kingdom to the ground just to make them pay for what they did to him.

But he didn’t have to do that. Not yet, at least. He could still take over the kingdom, he could still humiliate the sisters, and once he did, he would return home as the prodigal and triumphant son. He just needed time to conceive of a plan strong enough to ensure his victory and money, more than the pittance his family saw fit to give him, to bring his plans to fruition. The former he would get on the ship and the latter… A sudden blow of inspiration took him. When he arrived at the _Eksile_ , the captain walked to him without proper greeting and asked, “Where to, sir?”

“Set course for Weselton,” he commanded.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is not my intention to depict the Southern Isles as a diabolical empire bent on world domination because quite simply they wouldn't last long until a conglomeration of European empires assembled and crushed them. However, I do see Hans' family as a very competitive family encouraged by their father to make them prove themselves to him. If you're finding yourself being sympathetic to Hans, don't worry. He's going to have plenty of asshole moments to come.
> 
> I highly encourage constructive criticism and feedback. Those are the instruments by which art evolves.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks go to [hybrid-rain](http://hybrid-rain.tumblr.com/) as always and [sporadic-tiger](http://sporadic-tiger.tumblr.com/) for agreeing to be my proofreader and nitpicker.

Not for the first time and surely not the last time, Queen Elsa of Arendelle cursed her ancestors for their most ingenious idea of making the royal chair the most uncomfortable in the council room. She knew the reason for that; the duties of a king, or in her case, a queen, should never be considered a comfort, her father taught her. What she didn’t understand was why the other chairs were more comfortable when their duties were just as important as hers. Perhaps it’s to remind them that their job was a leisure she could freely take away if they displeased her. Whatever the reason was, she shoved her irritation aside as the Royal Treasurer continued his report.

“The commissions for the ice sculptures for Agrabah have been added to the Royal Coffers. This combined with the revenue generated from your influences into our trade has resulted in an adequate surplus in our budget.”

Elsa gave herself a small smile as she thought about the ice ships that were now sailing all over the seas under the flags of different kingdoms and companies. When she returned back to Arendelle and her powers became common knowledge, she had struggled for ways they could be used to contribute to her kingdom aside from hosting public ice skating rinks in the courtyard. And then an idea struck her when Anna returned from a late night kitchen raid with two large pieces of chocolate cake she claimed from the icebox. The next day, she requested a meeting with the Royal Society of Naval Architects and made her proposal. Minutes after the meeting concluded, Arendelle’s shipyards began construction on the first ice ship and by the end of July, the ship christened _Ghaccio_ unfurled its sails with a cargo of fresh fish destined for Corona. Not one fish had spoiled in the voyage. The success of her idea spread throughout Europe and soon requests for ice ships came pouring in.

“Can we manage the increased demands?” asked Elsa as she briefly glanced through the summary of orders.

“We will have to allocate some of the construction to neighbouring shipwrights. We have sent them the specifications to which they’re to abide and afterwards, the ships will be sailed here for your…enchantments. In the meantime, we have plans for the expansion of the existing Royal Shipyard with a proposal for an additional one. They are waiting for your approval.”

She quickly found the papers in question and placed them aside. “Very well,” she commented. “Regarding the ice harvesters, how have they adjusted to the new conditions in Arendelle?” 

“They have done well under your arrangement with them. Some have decided to seek employment in your ice storehouses but most of them continue to supply ice throughout the kingdom.”

She nodded, again pleased with this decision. Within days after her coronation, the ice harvesters had assembled before the court and asked her what was to be their fate. Knowing that their professions had been an ancient tradition of Arendelle, she promised them she would do nothing that would endanger their livelihood and any ice created by her for commercial purposes would be used only if the demands exceeded what they could supply.

“That is good to hear. Is there anything further to report regarding our finances?”

“No, Your Majesty,” said the Royal Treasurer.

“Very well, proceeding to our affairs abroad. Mr Director?”

The Royal Director of Foreign Affairs rose from his (more than likely comfortable) seat and read from the sheet of paper in his hands.

“The King of Holstein has sent his deepest apologies for the behaviour of his subordinate, the Duke of Weselton. He continues to say that he has restricted the Duke’s autonomy and will accept any trade agreement between his kingdom and ours.”

“Good. Then he should have no objections to the amendments I’ve added.”

“You mean these amendments, Your Majesty?” he asked, picking up another sheet of paper and adjusting his optics. “But, Your Majesty, I must confess, they are far too harsh. The King would never accept this.”

“You just said the King will accept any trade agreement between Holstein and Arendelle. This is the agreement I want for us. It is no harsher than the agreement we were forced in with Weselton between my father’s reign and my own.”

“Her Majesty is right,” chimed in the Royal Treasurer.  “Those three years saw some economic depression thanks to them.”

“Furthermore,” continued Elsa. “Should the King neglect to remember his promise, remind him that his subject attempted to have me _killed_. What other news from abroad?”

The director continued. “A message from the Southern Isles. Apparently they have banished Prince Hans and stripped him of all titles. They are also sending the Crown Prince with tribute in apology. He is due to arrive in three weeks.”

“They could have simply sent the tribute and be done with it,” muttered the Spymaster to the amusement of the other Council members.

“I see,” Elsa simply said, not sure how she should feel about the arrival of yet another Prince of the Southern Isles. The memories of Hans still burned deep in her mind as they surely did in Anna’s. She did not particularly relish having the Crown Prince present in her kingdom but she doubted she could find a way to accept his tribute without accepting his visit in a diplomatic fashion. “We will discuss this further when the visit is closer. For now, prepare accommodations outside the castle. The prince may come to this kingdom but he will not sleep within these walls. And if he find this disagreeable, then he can sleep in his ship.”

The Council members chuckled again as the director scribbled a note.

“Now, if that is all, ladies and gentlemen,” said Elsa. “I believe this meeting has…”

“A moment if it pleases Your Majesty,” interrupted the Commander of Defence of Arendelle. “I have here a summary of the armed capabilities of Arendelle that I would like you to review.”

Elsa mentally sighed as she accepted the rather thick red folder and placed it on top of her pile of paper she would be spending today’s evening reading. “Thank you, Lord Commander,” she said. “Are there any further matters we need to discuss?” After a moment of silence, she continued, ‘Very well. Then thus concludes today’s meeting.” She rose from her seat, eager to finally free herself from that chair, and gathered her work into her arms. Her council immediately stood up and bowed their heads as she departed from the room.

When she walked out, she found Kai standing dutifully by the door, waiting for her it seems. She, to this day, had no idea how he somehow managed to materialise when she needed him.

“Your Majesty,” he greeted, bowing from his waist before keeping up with Elsa’s pace. “Lunch has been prepared for you at your leisure.”

“Thank you, Kai. Let me drop these off at my study first. Could you please find Anna and ask her if she would like to eat with me?” She was fairly certain she knew her sister’s answer but sometimes Anna still found ways to defy her predictions.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Would you like me to bring that to your study for you?”

“No, it’s okay, Kai. Thank you, though.”

Kai bowed and hastened off to find her sister as Elsa continued walking toward her study. Every few yards she passed a guard who straightened upon seeing her and did not relax until she was well out of sight. She managed to convince the Lord Commander that she did not need a constant escort hovering around her while inside the castle but she strongly suspected him for conspiring with the Spymaster because in addition to the guards, she would pass a maid or a servant who seemed unusually interested in the movements of the castle’s inhabitants. However they were much more subtle than guards flanking her as she moved throughout so for now, she tolerated their presence.

As if to make her point, a maid carrying a feather duster walked out of her study just as Elsa turned the corner. If she wasn’t one of the Spymaster’s little seeds, she would eat her slippers. _At least, she did her pretend job_ , she mused when she entered, noting the neat organised desktop and the clean shelves. As she walked around the desk to sit, she placed the bundle of papers in her arms underneath an existing pile on the left side before leaning her head back and releasing a sigh. She then took off her gloves and put them in a drawer in the desk. She still wore them in public, mostly to assure people she would not use her powers, but whenever she had them on in Anna’s presence, her sister would just glare at them as if they had done an incredible offence to her and would only stop when she peeled them off.  She allowed herself a few more minutes of rest before she rose from the considerably more comfortable chair and made her way to the dining hall.

*             *             *

“Ummm…Kristoff, there is something I should probably tell you….” Anna recited, facing herself through the full length mirror. A mirror she must have broken twice in her childhood due to her clumsiness. For the longest time she wondered if that was the reason why Elsa never came out of her room or why she never met anyone in her life that didn’t work for her parents. Hopefully the recent events in her life used up all the misfortune her actions caused. She was fidgeting in front of the mirror, her arms moving from behind her back to across her chest to nervously clasped in front of her. “I think we need to talk about something… I wanted to talk to you about something important… I think we should talk and it’s important so you should listen…”

 _Was it just me or was each revision worse than the one before it?_ she thought as she grounded her teeth in frustration. She could just not give him an explanation but Kristoff deserved as much.

She honestly couldn’t say when she realised that she didn’t love Kristoff as much as she first thought. Maybe it was after he suddenly and unexpectedly kissed her in the lips. Maybe it was after all the excitement died down from their adventures and things slowly returned to a sense of normalcy. Maybe it was after she began to interact with more people and found that love was often an excuse used to disguise more nefarious intentions, particularly with her sister. Or maybe it was after she spent more time with Elsa and saw just how much joy she found in her presence. Even when she was preoccupied with her duties, Anna simply relished being near such perfection and when she turned her attentions to her, she often felt dizzy from elation. Realising her thoughts were drifting again, she shook her head to focus them.

“Kristoff, I need to tell you something,” she tried again. “I’m really sorry but I don’t think I love you like I used to…. No, that won’t work…” Taking a few deep breaths, she made yet another attempt. “Kristoff…I’m really sorry but…”

“Sorry for what?” Kristoff’s voice said. She gasped in surprise, nearly jumping into the mirror and giving herself more years of misfortune.

“Kristoff!” she squeaked, looking at the ice harvester standing at the door. He hastily brought his hands up in a pacifying manner.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he immediately said. “I knocked a couple times but I guess you didn’t hear me so I tried the door.”

“Oh, it’s okay, just…” she said, fidgeting with her right braid. “You just startled me, that’s all.”

“But what are you sorry for?” he persisted. Anna looked down and took a deep breath before raising her eyes to face him.

“I…I don’t think I love you, Kristoff,” she confessed and then quickly added, “I mean, you’re a good friend and I appreciate everything you did for me and Elsa. I really do. And I like you, just not, you know, like _like_ you. But after everything that happened with, you know, _him_ , I just don’t think I’m ready to go through something like this again.”

Kristoff stared at her for the longest time until he bowed his head and sighed. “I understand, Anna,” he finally said. “At least, I guess I do.”

“Just so you know,” Anna said. “I don’t think you’re like _him_. At all. You couldn’t have been any more different than him. It’s just…”

“You’re not sure right now and you don’t want to do anything hasty again,” he finished for her. Well, it wasn’t exactly what she wanted to say but it was close enough that she allowed it to pass without a comment.

“I’m really sorry, Kristoff,” she said. “I didn’t want to say this to you but…in the end, I thought you deserved to hear it from me.”

He simply nodded, sighing again. He then turned to leave, lingering just long enough to say “I think I need to go see my family. I’ll be there for a while. Take care, Anna.” And with that, he closed the door behind him. Anna sat down on her bed. She brushed strands of her hair on the right side with her fingers and twisted her right braid as she wondered if she did the right thing. Shouldn’t she feel better if she did? She hoped that now that she had told Kristoff how she truly felt, she would feel relieved but instead she found her heart growing heavier inside her.

This time she heard the gentle knock against the door. “Who is it?” she asked, her voice a little higher than usual.

“It’s Kai, Your Highness,” the voice behind the door replied. “Your sister was hoping to have lunch with you, if it is all right with you.”

“Of course!” she said, her mood lifting almost instantly. “Just give me a sec…” She stood in front of the mirror to make sure she looked presentable to her big sister before walking out to follow Kai to the dining hall.

“Is she there already?” she asked excitedly as they walked down the corridors.

“She said she first had to go to her study so she must be on her…” Kai started but never got around to actually finishing what he had to say. For the princess hitched up her skirts and rushed past him like a redheaded cyclone.

She sprinted past guards and maids, mindless to her surroundings as usual. But then distantly, she saw Elsa calmly walking towards her and she tried to slow down. Of course the monument continued to carry her and she then tried digging her heels against the carpet. She just managed to skid to a halt mere inches from Elsa’s outstretched arms, clearly anticipating a collision.

Aware she just nearly almost ran into Elsa, Anna meekly said, “Hi.”

“Hi,” she said. Anna simply smiled at her before looking at the door she nearly ran into her sister in front of. It was the door into the dining hall, a fact that apparently did not escape her sister’s notice. “So…let’s find out what the cooks have prepared for us.”

Anna looped her arm around Elsa’s and said cheerfully, “I hope there’s a lot of chocolate!”

Elsa bowed her head and chuckled. “You always hope there’s chocolate,” she said as she opened the door for them.

“Yes, but today I really need it,” she retorted. Her eyes passed over the smoked salmon smørrebrød and the Jarlberg cheese until they found her glutton’s desire: a small chocolate cake already sliced for them. She beamed at the sight and clapped her hands eagerly. She didn’t notice the concerned look her sister gave her until they both seated at the table.

“…Wait, why?” she asked, her slender arm reaching for a sandwich. “Did something happen?” If Anna were to look under the table, she would see the fingers on Elsa’s right hand were slowly collapsing into a fist.

Instead she was about to grab a slice of chocolate cake when she withdrew her hand. “Oh, well,” she said, looking down at her plate. “I broke up with Kristoff today… Actually about five minutes ago.”

“Oh,” Elsa said, tilting her head. “Was it his fault?”

“No, no, no. Nothing like that. It’s just…I don’t love him like I thought I did.” Now that she confessed her disinterest in Kristoff, she found it difficult to stop talking. “I mean, there’s a lot about him to love. He’s incredibly brave and nice and he’s good looking and funny too. Plus he does have that adorable reindeer. And I still like him as a friend. But I don’t know. Lately it felt like we’ve been growing apart and maybe it’s my fault for drifting away like that. I should have tried harder to be closer to him.”

“No, Anna,” she said. “That is not your fault at all. I’m sure Kristoff is a wonderful man and any woman will be lucky to have him.”

“But not me…” she muttered dejectedly. Then she felt a cool but comforting presence on her hand. She looked to see Elsa’s hand resting upon her own.

“Don’t worry, little snowbug,” she said with a smile. “From what I read, it happens to couples from time to time. They become different people and they just don’t love each other.”

“But that’ll never happen between us!” Anna protested. “…Will it?”

“Of course not, Anna. We’re different, remember? We’re sisters.”

“Always be together.”

“You and me,” Elsa finished with another chuckle, one that Anna joined. She gave her sister’s hand a couple of pats before removing it. “Now are you going to eat that cake or are you actually going to eat lunch first?”

Anna stuck her tongue out at her sister as she grabbed the slice and plopped it on her plate. “You know what, Elsa?” she said, splitting a piece of cake and spearing with her fork. “I’m glad you’re back with me.”

“Me too, sis,” she said, calmly wiping her lips with her napkin before smiling at her.  “Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thinking of what Elsa could do for her kingdom didn't actually take that much thought. Given the time period, I think the greatest thing she could do is essentially mass producing refrigerators for her citizens. The Council members will be given names; it's just at the time of writing, I couldn't think of any.
> 
> I have no idea of Weselton is part of a kingdom or was an independent duchy like Milan so instead I compromised into saying that it was part of a kingdom but the Duke was given a certain independence. 
> 
> Once again, I welcome any and all feedback you might have to offer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks go to [hybrid-rain](http://hybrid-rain.tumblr.com/) as always for being an inspirational canyon and promoting this and [sporadic-tiger](http://sporadic-tiger.tumblr.com/) for agreeing to be my proofreader and nitpicker and helping me write other characters besides amoral hyperintelligent schemers.

That evening, Elsa retreated to her study with hopes that she would be able to significantly reduce her workload. However as she walked, she noted with curiosity the lack of any household staff making their way from the study. She could only draw one conclusion from this, a conclusion she found confirmed when she entered inside.

“Your Majesty,” the Spymaster greeted, dipping into a curtsey. “You should really stop keeping a regular schedule.”

“Mistress Julia,” she said, inclining her head. “What a pleasant yet unexpected surprise.”  

Elsa rather liked Julia Blondevik despite her eccentricities such as her preference to pantaloons or her unannounced appearances in her study, a rarity she had noted in the relations between kings and their spymasters. From what Elsa could determine from the blonde woman, she appeared content to rest in the shadows, planting her agents like seeds and watching what fruits they produced. Any particularly useful fruit was immediately delivered to the queen’s attention which was then dealt however she saw fit and Julia received a small measure of trust for her efforts.

She circled around her spymaster and sat behind her desk. The kerosene lamps were already glowing warmly around the room but the hearth remained unlit. “So I guess there’s more you wish to add to the meeting?” asked Elsa, opening the drawer to take out her gloves.

 “A few matters,” she replied, turning to face the queen. “My seeds tell me that Hans is on the ship _Eksile_ , destined for Weselton. They will inform me when he’s arrived at port.”

“Do your seeds know what he plans to do there?” she asked as she donned her gloves.

“No, but if I were to guess…”She looked up musingly. “He could be seeking either sympathy or money from the duke.”

“Neither case seems to bode well for my kingdom,” Elsa said contemplatively, bringing her fingers into a steeple.  “I want frequent reports regarding Hans and the Duke of Weselton. And I want the fastest bird sent by your seeds should he leave Weselton.”

“Naturally, Your Majesty.”

“What of the affairs closer to home?”

“Both the nobles and the common people have adjusted to the recent events fairly well. The general consensus among them is approval for your reign.”

“But…” Elsa interjected.

“But…” Julia repeated with a smirk. “A few of the nobles have expressed discontent with you. The reasons for their grievances are as varied as they are tiring. Your failure to find a suitor, your gender clouding your judgment, your youth and inexperience hindering your ability to rule, your powers making you unpredictable and unstable, your policies against Weselton ruining their fortunes, _et cetera, et cetera_. Bishop Mathiesen, in particular, is very adamant that your presence as a witch will bring ruin upon Arendelle.”

Elsa indulged in an exasperated eye roll, causing Julia’s smirk to grow wider. “Is there any chance that people will pay attention to his rhetoric?”

“Aside from his followers in the _Ordo Malleus_? Very little. The public perception regarding them is that they are a band of fanatics.”

“That may be, Julia,” Elsa said. “But forgive me for being less than comfortable with a cult who sees my removal as the kingdom’s salvation.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. What course do you suggest then?”

“For now, I would like you to observe him. Pay close attention to his finances and the company he keeps. I assume you already have someone inside this _Ordo Malleus_.”

“Planted and growing, Your Majesty. I’ve also taken the trouble of arranging the reading material on your desk in order of most urgent and important to least.”

Elsa looked to her left and saw that a black folder was placed on top of the pile. _Of course, she would think hers is the most important_ , she thought as gratitude to her spymaster’s efforts warred with irritation that someone had disrupted her order. Suddenly a sequence of knocks came and the door burst open to admit Anna.

“Elsa, I was….oh!” she exclaimed, seeing that her sister was not alone in the study.

“Anna, please give me a minute,” she immediately said as gently as she could before turning her attentions to her spymaster. “Anything else?”

“No, that was all I wished to say to you,” Julia replied rather hastily. “Good evening, Your Majesty. Your Highness.” She curtseyed to both the queen and the princess before neatly stepping around Anna and departing from the study.

“I didn’t disturb you, did I?” Anna asked concernedly as soon as the door clicked close behind her. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have just…”

“Anna,” she interrupted, taking her gloves off. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

“She’s your Spymaster, isn’t she?” she asked as she took a seat in front of Elsa and placed her feet on top of her desk.

“ _Our_ Spymaster,” Elsa replied. “And she’s rather fond of suddenly appearing in my study so there’s no way you could have known she was here.”

“And she doesn’t just tell you this stuff at your council meetings…why?”

“Probably because she doesn’t trust the people on the council,” she said with a sigh as she took the black folder and opened it with her left hand. Her right hand meanwhile opened another drawer to withdraw a pair of reading glasses. As she read the briefings from Julia, she became increasingly aware that Anna was staring at her. She looked up at her and lifted an eyebrow. “What?” she asked.

“Oh just…you wear glasses now,” Anna stammered as her cheeks began to turn to a faint pink.

“I have been for quite a while,” said Elsa. “Sometimes the words get fuzzy if I’m reading for too long.”

“Oh… well, they look good. I mean you make them look good.”

Elsa closed her eyes and craned her head back in mirth. “Thank you,” she said, feeling a mixture of both embarrassment and pride from her sister’s admiration. The way she praised her beauty was different from those of the lords and princes who came seeking her hand. There was a certain conviction in her words that she found lacking in theirs, as if Anna truly believed everything she said with every fibre of her heart.

She had finished the first page, which mostly concerned itself with the _Ordo Malleus_ , when she noticed that Anna was trying to read that page upside-down. With a soft smile, she handed the page towards her who suddenly averted her glance.

“I thought you wanted to read it?” asked Elsa, feeling rather puzzled.

“Oh…well,” Anna began. “I did, I mean, I do. I just don’t know if I’m allowed to. That must have come from _her_ , right?”

“You can read it, Anna. I trust you.” But as Anna grabbed the piece of paper and tugged on it, Elsa kept her hand on it and said, “Just…some of the things are scary.”

“Elsa…,” she said in an exasperated voice, pulling the page and reading it. “It’s okay, it’s just…. _WHAT?!_ ” Her eyes widened to the size of saucers as they stared at the paper in horror. “There’s a cult who think you’re a witch and killing you will save Arendelle?!”

“Anna, it’s only about twenty people,” she calmly explained. “Most of them aren’t actually going to do anything, everyone else thinks they’re a bunch of nutters...”

“That’s still a lot of people, Elsa! Why don’t you get your Spymaster to arrest them? Or your Lord Commander? Or you can just go there and turn them all into ice statues.”

“Anna,” she said, taking off her glasses and rubbing her eyes. “There’s always going to be people who aren’t going to like us. It’s a simple fact of ruling; I can’t please everyone. And if I do all that, it makes me look even worse and more people will want me gone.”

Anna looked like she wanted to protest further but the logic of her words seemed to settle in her and she relented. “I don’t want to lose you again, Elsa,” she admitted, reaching over to grab her sister’s hand. For a second, Elsa felt a sudden urge to jerk her hand away. But the impulse passed and she relaxed into her sister’s warm grip. “After everything, I just got you back.”

Elsa looked up at her sister and saw her turquoise eyes, filled with concern and affection, staring at her. And she saw just how much it meant to Anna to be in the same room as her, to see her face every day and hear her talk and laugh. An uncomfortable lump began to form in her throat that forced her to look away from her sister for a minute as the regret of missing her childhood settled in her. But there was no use lamenting what happened in the past. Her sister was here, alive and well, and… _beautiful_ , far more beautiful than she could ever be. Her brilliant red hair, the delicate freckles that adorned her face, her smile that filled her with the warmth of the sun. 

“Do you want to do something fun?” asked Elsa abruptly. She guessed that was the reason why Anna came in the study in the first place but in any case, she was already getting weary of her work.

“YES!” Anna said but then she tilted her head towards the pile of paper on the desk.

“Oh, I’ll handle that later,” she said dismissively. “Let’s go to my old room and finish our castle!”

Anna nodded furiously and added, “Shouldn’t we find Olaf and see if he wants to join in?”

Elsa giggled in a markedly unqueenly fashion as they both got up from their seats, hands still held together, and said, “Oh, I’m sure he’s already there waiting for us.”

*             *             *

 

Hans paced back and forth in the foyer of the Duke’s mansion, his thin eyebrows narrowed in frustration. Barely a month ago, he was the one whom people waited on and here he was, grovelling for the pleasure of the Duke’s presence. As if he needed another reason to despise the sisters. As Frederik promised, as soon as the ship docked at Weselton and he carried his trunks off the deck, the _Eksile_ immediately departed, leaving Hans to furiously remember the ship’s name and captain for when he returned to power. By some miracle, he managed to complete his walk unmolested from the harbour and by an even greater miracle, he managed to find a hotel with suitable accommodations. Certainly not fit for a prince, but given his current situation, he supposed he should count himself fortunate they found him a room with little fuss.

“Sir,” the steward said from the landing above him. Hans looked up as he stopped in mid stride. “The Duke will see you now.”

He gave him a curt nod and ascended the mahogany stairs to follow the steward into the Duke’s office. The mansion was richly decorated as befitting for the Duke. Violet satin curtains framed the windows, bright yellow tablecloths draped over decorative tables, pale red velvet carpeting, paintings depicting noble scenes of old hung on the walls. It was all very impressive but Hans was a prince and thus immune to the effects of the décor. He came here for one thing and he would be damned if he did not leave this mansion without it.

The steward led Hans in front of a black door and knocked twice against it.

“Come in,” Hans could hear the grating voice of the Duke call.

The steward opened the door and simply announced, “Your visitor.” It appeared in Weselton, titles mattered more than the people who held them. Sure enough, behind an ornate desk was the Duke of Weselton, the two men who had accompanied him to Arendelle on either flank. Hans decided to take a more prudent approach and inclined his head downward, muttering “My lord”. However the Duke chose that exact moment to quench his thirst and sipped from his cup.     

“Ah, Hans,” the Duke finally greeted, setting down his cup of tea or coffee or whatever with a clatter. “Please sit. What brings you to the fair city of Weselton?”

“An unfortunate change in my fortune, I’m afraid,” he replied, taking a seat.

“Yes, I’ve heard. Exiled from your own home, stripped of all your titles. So tell me, _Hans_ , what do you seek here? A job perhaps? Or maybe you have come here to beg?”

Anger flashed through Hans but he suppressed it as he replied, “I came seeking a partner who shares the same goals as I do. But perhaps I came to the wrong place.”

“And what would those goals be?”

“The ruin of the Snow Queen and her pet sister. Don’t try to lie to me, my lord. I know that because of those two, you have lost the greatest prize of your expansions. Because of those two, the King of Holstein has seen fit to tighten his leash around your neck. And because of those two, you are forced to pay for the losses suffered by the kingdom in their draconian agreement with Arendelle.”

The Duke’s eyebrows narrowed behind his spectacles as he leaned forward and said with a sneer, “How did you come across this information?”

“Waiting for the privilege of this meeting has given me ample time to gather useful information.”

The Duke sighed. “I suppose I should ask the main questions. What do you want and what do I get?”

“Money.” Seeing the triumphant look on the Duke’s face, Hans hastily continued, “Not for myself. But for what we need for my plan to be successful.”

“Your plan?”

“Yes,” he said in a voice that barely concealed his exasperation. “I have a plan, which I can see is more than you can say.” He would have continued his contemptuous tirade but he noted the irritation forming in his face. “As for what you get in return, you will get everything you came to Arendelle for and more. There will be a new trade agreement, one that will actually benefit both parties, and naturally I would cease Arendelle’s embargo against your duchy.”

“If you had not interfered with me that day, I would have had all these things by now,” grumbled the Duke.

“Somehow I doubt that the murderer of the queen, even the Snow Queen, of Arendelle would be well-received by its people,” Hans said coolly.

“You _tried_ to kill her as well.”

“ _After_ I tried all other options of stopping the winter.”

“Speaking of the winter, how do you propose we handle her powers? She’s obviously learned how to control them. Any attempt against her or her sister and we’ll be frozen ice cold!”

Hans had given that some thought. In fact that’s all that occupied his mind on the voyage from the Southern Isles to Weselton. He had also thought of ways to avoid a direct confrontation with the Queen. “It will not come to that,” he said. “If we follow my plan, then the queen will not be defeated by our hands but at the hands of her people.”

“But what if, Hans?!”

“I have plans for that situation as well, Duke. But it will _not_ come to that. We just need to be clever and careful with this. And patient.”

The Duke contemplated for several minutes, minutes that Hans spent adjusting the finer details of his plans. _Finally_ , the Duke said, “I will need time to consider your proposal, Hans. In the meantime, consider yourself a personal guest of mine. You will be given lodgings here and have whatever needs you have handled by my staff.”

“You are too gracious, my lord,” Hans said, standing up and bowing slightly from his waist. “I will need someone to help move my belongings from my current residence.”

“Yes, yes,” the Duke said dismissively. He took a bell from his desk and rang it a couple times. Within seconds, the door was opened and the steward stepped in.

“Yes, my lord?” he asked as soon he got up from his bow.

“Assist Hans in settling in the guest room and make sure he gets whatever he wants,” commanded the Duke.

“Of course. If you will follow me, sir.”

 _Still only a sir_ , thought Hans grudgingly as he followed the steward out. But if he was burdened with any virtue, it was patience. And it wouldn’t be long before he would be addressed as _King_ Hans of Arendelle.

*             *             *

Anna yelped as her elbow slipped off the desk for the fourth time in the last hour. She was sitting by herself in the library, her books and notes laid out in a semicircle around her and a cup of hot chocolate within arm’s reach. She knew her sister liked coffee but she didn’t care much for the taste. However she was tempted to overcome her aversion if it meant she could stop dozing off like this. She rubbed her eyes before she tried to find the last sentence she could remember. _Oh the things we do for love_ , she thought. _If this is actually love_. Ever since the thaw, there was one thought that she kept going to, one thought that she would always muse over if nothing else took her mind. _Was she in love with Elsa?_

If she overlooked the part with Elsa being her sister, it wasn’t too hard to see why. Who wouldn’t be in love with her? She was smart, kind, patient, clever, gorgeous, talented, funny, graceful, and just awesome. For a while she thought she wanted Elsa’s company because she was her sister and sisters were always together. But now she wondered if there was a deeper cause for that desire. After Elsa opened the doors between them, she still wanted more time with her. Any moment not spent in her company was a moment wasted in her eyes. Whenever her thoughts touched upon her sister, Anna found it very difficult to think of anything else. She wondered what Elsa was doing at the moment, how she felt about whatever she was doing, and what she would much rather be doing.

Which is why she spent most of her “alone” time in the library, poring over all the books her ancestors have collected for anything that could teach her about love. Everyone was right; there was much she needed to know about love. After Kristoff and _him_ , she wanted to be sure before she flung herself into another attempt at it. Especially since she didn’t want to lose Elsa. Even if she didn’t love her back, which was probably going to be the case, Anna still wanted to be friends with her.  But what books that did talk about love were poems and songs from ages ago and while they might have been useful then, Anna found it very difficult to see them relevant now. If only she had a tutor on love… _That’s it!_ she thought triumphantly. It would be too awkward to go to the trolls, especially since Kristoff would probably be there. But they weren’t the only love experts she knew. She was half way out of the library when she realised she forgot something. Five minutes of hastily putting the books back into their proper shelves, she was out the door to find Olaf.

Curiously, despite him seemingly know exactly where to find either sister, Anna was having a difficult time tracking down the little snowman. The first place she checked was the gardens where he would be enjoying the last few weeks of summer before autumn came but she didn’t find him there. Then she tried the kitchens where he was known to linger to smell the meals prepared there but there was no trace of the snowman there. There were, however, some chocolate that the kitchen staff seemed to be giving away, which is to say not supervising. Finally she tried Elsa’s old bedroom which she had placed in a permanent state of winter so they would always have a place to play in the snow. Olaf was not there. Exhaling deeply, she wandered around the courtyard when she heard a voice cry out for her.

“Anna! Hey, Anna!”

She looked up and saw the little snowman sitting on the roof of one of the smaller towers, his stumpy legs dangling over the edge and his twig arms frantically waving in the air. After a minute of wondering how the snowman managed to get up there, she quickly climbed up to join him.

“What are you doing up here?” asked Anna after she gave him a hug.

“Enjoying the magnificent view,” Olaf cheerfully replied. “You can see so much from here. Everyone looks like tiny little ants. It’s marvellous.”

Anna smiled at him before she mustered her courage. “Olaf,” she began. “Is it okay if I ask you a question?”

“Of course! What is it?”

“I was…wondering…”And in a breathless stream of words, she told him about breaking up with Kristoff, her feelings for Elsa, and how they developed into something more romantic than sisterly but just as strong. All the while, the usual talkative Olaf silently listened to what she had to say.

“I just don’t understand,” Anna finished. “I thought I just loved Elsa as a sister. But I think it’s something more…”

“Well, who said you have to choose?” Olaf asked.

Anna just blinked at him.

“You want to love Elsa with a romantic love. You want to marry her one day, right?” Olaf asked. He paused, his little eyebrows narrowing in confusion and his tall head tilted to the side. “But it sounds like you think you have to make a choice. Between sisters and…romance. Who said you had to choose; why can’t you just be both?”

“But…people think it’s a little weird when sisters love each other that way.”

“And people probably think it’s a little weird when a snowman walks and talks and smells flowers in the sun but here I am!” he said, grabbing his little feet and chuckling to himself.

Anna couldn’t help but share in his mirth. And in a way, what Olaf said made sense. There were much stranger things in their world and certainly in their own kingdom. A large family of trolls with rocks for bodies lived within their lands. Their very own queen, her sister, was capable of controlling ice and snow. She created a magnificent palace made of sheer ice in a single night and thawed a winter that everyone thought would never end. With all of that, how could the people ever think her love for Elsa, both sisterly and romantic, be anything but good? As long as she loved her back….

“Olaf, do you think I should tell her?”

He nodded furiously.

“But what if she doesn’t love me back? What if _she_ thinks it’s too weird?”

“She’ll always love you, Anna. She’s your sister. How can she not?” The snowman paused again and this time something curious occurred. His face tightened in absolute resolution. “Look at me, Anna.” 

Anna did, tilting her head to the side and wondering what she was supposed to see.

“How do you think Elsa made me?” The familiar bright smile appeared once more. “She used the love she had for you. The memories of all the joy and happiness you two shared as children. She kept all that. It gave me life. The act of true love that thawed you had to be between both of you. That’s why it didn’t work when Kristoff brought you back to Arendelle. As a sister and beyond, I think Elsa loves you, Anna.”

Anna felt tears form in her eyes and looked away for a minute as she dabbed them away.

“Okay, I’ll tell her,” she proclaimed.

Olaf’s eyes lit up and he clapped his hands eagerly. “Now?!” he asked.

And then the logic part of her brain came back and knocked some sense into her. “Eh…give me some time,” she said. “I just need to make sure.”

Olaf’s smile briefly turned into a frown before going back to normal. “Just tell me when! Oh I can’t wait to see it. It’s going to be magical!”

Anna stared at him as she giggled nervously. “Just…make sure she can’t see you, okay? Usually these things are done in private.”

He covered his mouth as comprehension settled into him. “Ohhh…okay! I see now. I’ll just hide somewhere no one can see me. You’ll see!” He chuckled to himself until he realised just what he said. “Wait, I mean, you won’t see me. Because…I’ll be hiding!” he quickly corrected. Anna laughed and wrapped her arms around the adorable little snowman.

“Thanks Olaf!” she said.

“Of course, Anna!” he said, returning her gesture. “Anything for you. You give the best warmest hugs ever!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whatever else the man may be, Hans is not an idiot. He definitely has a plan. He has a plan for his plan. He has a plan for his plan for his plan. What will it be though? If you're inclined to guess, please do.
> 
> Julia Blondevik is an original character of my own creation. However people who know me marginally well and/or are aware of a certain actress will know exactly whom I'm drawing inspiration from. Just to clear something, the relationship between Julia and Elsa is purely professional. She will not be in the way of the Elsanna ship.
> 
> One of the things that...kinda troubled about Frozen fanfics is how much fuss they seem to think it will kick up. We are talking about a world where trolls exist within a good distance from the city and the queen has the ability to create and control ice and snow. And if we are to take that Frozen is part of the arching Disney animated canon like I am, then there's mermaids, genies, talking animals, witches, fairies, healing flowers, voodoo doctors, sorcerers, etc. All sorts of crazy things. But incest is what gets the people all riled up? 
> 
> I imagine there were a couple of changes in the religion of Arendelle. One would be the appearance of a cult dedicated to the worship of Elsa. Another would be a sect of the current religion, which for simplicity's sake I have as Catholicism, which would regard her as a witch. They will have an impact soon enough...
> 
> Once again, I welcome any and all feedback you might have to offer.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks go to [hybrid-rain](http://hybrid-rain.tumblr.com/) as always for being an inspirational canyon, promoting this like mad, and putting up with my witching hour displays of brilliance and [sporadic-tiger](http://sporadic-tiger.tumblr.com/) for agreeing to be my proofreader and nitpicker, helping me write Olaf, and being unbelievably patient with me.

Being the queen was much like any other occupation, Elsa had once mused. Most of the time it was a simple matter of trying her best as much as she possibly could under the circumstances. There were a few moments though where she actually relished her power and the responsibilities that accompanied it. And then there were times where she wished she could just leave her throne and crown and kingdom behind and run back to her palace on the North Mountain.

“ _No_ ,” she said for what she was certain was the thousandth time in this conversation. “I categorically refuse to accept that job.”

“Your Majesty,” stammered Director Fossen. “The lord has offered a substantial commission for his request.”

“I don’t care if Lord Gutherson’s offering me all the riches in the Cave of Wonders. I am _not_ going to make an ice sculpture of a woman, let alone one of _me_. Tell him he can ask for sculptures of anything else and I’ll gladly consider them. Surely he should understand my refusal.”

“Very well, Your Majesty,” the Royal Director of Foreign Affairs said, scribbling a note, as Elsa silently fumed over the lord’s absurd boldness. She had refused, or rather ignored, his hand in marriage and now he wanted a statue of her? Although the issue was less that the statue would be of her and more that it would be of a woman. Ice sculpting wasn’t something Elsa expected to be of any interest to anyone, much less profitable for the kingdom. It was just something she did when she wanted to liberate her magic in a more creative fashion. But it was almost outrageous what lords and kings would pay for their likeliness to be preserved in everlasting ice. Most requests Elsa could do in minutes but there was only one time when her talents failed her, when she had to make a sculpture of a woman.

The subject didn’t even look like Anna but when Elsa prepared to start her project, memories of that fateful day bombarded her and the image of her sister, frozen and lifeless, seared itself into her mind for the rest of the day. That night, Elsa placed her head against Anna’s chest much to her sister’s confusion. It was only through the soft steady rhythm of her heart beating was Elsa able to drift into sleep. That was the first and only time she tried to recreate a woman’s likeness in ice.

“What else?” she said, slivers of her aggravation leaking through her voice.

“A proclamation from the Russian Empire. ‘In order to secure and ensure order and stability among our people, and in light of recent suspected revolutionary activities in the Polish dominion, the Imperial Russian Army will be sending troops to assist the local garrison and law enforcement in containing the seditious threat that threatens the safety of the empire’s loyal subjects.’”

“And what do the people of Poland have to say to that?” asked Elsa.

“Currently there are no voices speaking for them, Your Majesty,” the Director replied. “But I understand they are quite discontent with the lack of representation they had once enjoyed and with the utter disregard the Russian authorities have shown towards their constitution.”

Elsa sighed. As much as she wished to help them in their plight, there was very little she could do besides lower Russia in their trade priorities. Arendelle was both blessed and cursed by her insignificance. Her small kingdom and even smaller military meant hardly any of the larger empires concerned themselves with her but it also meant they would do little to assist her and her them.

“Would these actions have any repercussions on my kingdom or her people?”

“None that I could foresee. Russia has no reason to take hostile actions against us. However it may be prudent to order our trade ships to be cautious near that region. Where the Imperial Army goes, the Imperial Navy is not far behind.”

“I’ll send a message to our ships after the meeting,” reassured Master Engelstad.

“Good,” Elsa said. “Finally, Mistress Julia.”

The spymaster stood up as Director Fossen took his seat.

“Your Majesty, my seeds tell me that two days ago, the Duke of Weselton has taken Hans in as a personal guest,” she reported. “The exiled prince himself seems to have been spending his time sending letters. They have noted an increased bird activity around the Duke’s mansion, both leaving and entering.”

“Is there any chance of intercepting these messages?” Elsa asked.

“I can think of ways but they will require some time,” Julia replied.

“If your seeds are close to him, as you say,” Director Fossen said. “And if you are concerned about the man, can you simply have him removed?”

“No,” Elsa resolutely replied before the spymaster could speak. “I will not kill a man simply for existing. While his activities are suspicious and I have no reason to believe he has forgotten or forgiven us, until we have proof of malicious activities, we should wait.”

“I’ll be sure to get that evidence, Your Majesty,” said Julia, the gravity of her pledge somewhat ruined by her smirk.

“If there is nothing else, then this meeting has concluded,” Elsa said, getting up from her chair. Her Council followed suit and she watched them as they bowed, or in Julia’s case curtseyed, and made their way out. Curiously, when the door opened, she thought she saw a flash of red hair disappear behind the doorway. She waited until they had all departed before she followed them out and turned to find a sheepish Anna, her cheeks already flushed with red.

“Um…hi!” she said, in a cheery voice that was obviously hiding something under it.

“Anna,” Elsa said in surprise. “Umm…what are you doing here?”

“Oh, I was waiting for you,” she explained. She hesitated for a few seconds, playing with her gorgeous red braids with nervous hands. “Actually…can we talk? Please?”

“Of course, snowbug!” she said, relaxing her shoulders. But then she noticed Anna was still nervous.

“I mean, can we talk in your old room?”

Elsa nodded and added, “Okay.” As the two sisters walked towards her room, Anna was looking anywhere except at Elsa and remained silent throughout the journey. Whatever she wanted to talk about, it clearly had her anxious. Elsa wanted to ask her what was wrong but she felt that Anna would tell her when and only when they arrived in her former bedroom.

Anna opened the door and waited for Elsa to enter first. The floor was covered in a good inch or two of snow that constantly drifted from the ceiling. In the middle of the room was an almost completed snow castle modelled after the palace they lived in. Elsa could have done it with a wave of her hand but she abstained from that, insisting that they built it together. With the eager assistance of Olaf, of course. All in all, it was a very beautiful room. It was one of two rooms Elsa forbade Julia from planting her seeds. So Elsa was left wondering just what had her so nervous and drove her to take such precautions against unwanted ears.

As soon as Elsa walked in, Anna followed, closed the door behind her with a click, and turned to face her. Her eyes drifted for a moment towards Elsa’s right with Elsa resisting the urge to turn to follow her gaze. She pulled her shoulders closer and dipped her head down but raised her eyes just a bit. Her left hand cupped the fingers on her right as she asked, “Do you remember when you asked me what I knew about true love?”

 _Oh…_ Elsa thought as her heart sank. _We never did talk about that night…_ She had said some awful things to her at that ball. She could say they were for Anna’s good all she liked; that didn’t change the fact that they had hurt her little sister terribly. “Anna, don’t….” she began.

“Please…Elsa?” she interrupted, her hands still cupped but her palms were facing her. It sounded less like a command and more like a plea. Elsa closed her mouth and simply nodded.

“You asked me what I knew about true love,” she repeated. “And you were right. I didn’t know a lot about love. Ever since then, I did some reading about it and I did some thinking. And…and I think I have a better idea about love.”

Elsa nodded again.

“I love you, Elsa. As your little sister, I will always love you. But…I think…” Again her eyes flickered away; she swallowed and continued, “I think I love you as something more as well. Every moment I spend with you, every night we sleep together, every meal we share, they have all brought the greatest happiness I’ve ever felt. There is a pull in you that brings me to you every day and being with you only makes it stronger. You’re everything to me, Elsa. _Everything_. There is nothing from this world and from my life I want more than to spend the rest of my life as close to you as possible.”

As soon as she finished, her eyes immediately went downward as if she was ashamed by her confession and she took a few small steps away. And Elsa just stood there, absorbing everything her sister said. While Anna always wore her heart on her sleeves, this was the first time she had seen it this exposed. And to be honest, Elsa felt relieved. After they opened the doors, whenever she looked at her sister, she always sensed that she saw her with something more than a sister’s fondness. Almost like the passions of a lover. She knew the pull Anna was talking about because she felt it herself. That steady tugging in her heart, leading her to the bright warmth of her sister. But never, never in her most fantastical dreams, did she imagine Anna would feel the same. After all she placed her sister through hell in her childhood, condemned her to years of solitude.  But despite all that, not only did she, against all expectations and all reason, remain devoted to her but her sister loved her the exact same way as she did.

“I...this is stupid, I know,” stammered Anna. “I just wanted you to know how I felt. But it’s okay if you don’t, you know, feel the same way. And really, why would you? You’re just so…”

“Anna,” Elsa said, crossing the small distance between them. She gently lifted her sister’s head with the tips of her fingers and saw the tears welling in her turquoise eyes. “I love you, too. As a sister and something else. I always have.”

Anna gave a sob of joy and relief as she wrapped her arms around her sister who joyfully returned her embrace. Elsa pressed her face against Anna’s shoulder, the scent of lilacs and orange blossoms smothering her nose. Then just as she lifted her head to look at Anna, she saw her face moving closer towards her, her eyes closed and lips quivering ever so slightly. And her mind panicked. Not at the idea of kissing Anna, but at the idea of _kissing_ her. She instinctively pulled her head and twisted her shoulders just enough so that Anna gasped in surprise as her lips met only chilled air.

“…Elsa?” Anna asked tentatively. “Did I do something wrong? Oh...I-I didn’t mean…I hope I wasn’t too forward.”

“No, Anna, it’s okay,” Elsa said. “It isn’t you, trust me. It’s just…I…I don’t think I’m ready for kissing just yet.”

In a rather high voice, she said, “Okay. I…I think I get that.” She began brushing the right side of her hair. “Can I have another hug at least?”

Elsa smiled at her and said, “Of course you can, little snowbug.” Opening her arms wide, she clutched her sister close to her chest and whispered in her ear, “You never have to ask for that.”

“Oooh warm hugs!” a voice suddenly cried. “I want one!”

There was no mistaking that voice but still Elsa whirled around in surprise.

“Olaf?!” she nearly shouted. “Wha…what was he doing here?” Her eyes widened as they saw the little snowman burst from a seemingly innocuous pile of snow in the corner. “Did you hear…everything…?”

Olaf nodded eagerly. “It was so beautiful,” he said. “And magical. Just like I thought!”

Elsa turned from Olaf to Anna who, for some reason, blushed behind her hands and narrowed her eyes at her.

“He really wanted to see,” Anna explained sheepishly. “And…I couldn’t exactly say no…”

Elsa looked back to Olaf who stared at her with those bright wide eyes that reminded her of Anna so much and sighed. “Of course…” she said with a soft smile as she pulled him into a hug. “Just…Olaf? Could you please not tell anyone what you saw or heard in here?”

“But why?” he asked, his smile dipping into a frown. “You two shouldn’t hide your love for each other. Not when it’s so wonderful!”

“Olaf,” said Anna. “Do you remember when I said people think it’s a little weird for sisters to love each other like Elsa and I do?”

The snowman tilted his head as he tried to recall that memory. “Yes…,’ he said, drawing the word out. “I remember you said that. But why would they think it’s weird?”

“Well, you see…” Anna began but she, too, struggled to find the words to say. Everyone would be fine with her and Kristoff. But why not her and Elsa?

Elsa noticed Anna faltering in her response and said, “They’re afraid.” She could see Olaf opening his mouth to ask “Why?” again so she swiftly continued, “Most people…have this one idea what love is and they think that anything different from that idea is…” Hundreds of words came rushing through her mind: immoral, blasphemous, abominable, wicked, twisted, corruptible…

“Bad,” finished Anna.

“But you two are anything _but_ bad!” exclaimed the snowman. Elsa rolled her eyes as her memory instantly brought a particular incident in their childhood.

Anna seemed to notice because she quickly said, “That’s great of you to say that, Olaf. But until we get people to agree with you, we have to keep it a secret. Just for a little bit, okay?”

Olaf’s frown deepened, a sight Elsa considered one of the most depressing. “It’s just sad that no one can see how wonderful the love you two have is,” he said in a dejected voice. “But if it will make people think bad things about you, then I won’t tell a single person! I swear!”

Both Elsa and Anna released a sigh of relief.

“Only on one condition!” Olaf suddenly said, prompting the sisters to first look at him and then each other. They looked back at him, waiting at bated breath. “Group hug?” he requested, holding his arms wide open.

They smiled and the three embraced each other in a tangle of arms. Olaf chuckled contently as he felt the warmth of his two mothers who were compelled to join in with their own giggles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to devote the entirety of this chapter to Anna's confession. And I'm really sorry they don't actually kiss here! It's going to be quite a while before they start kissing. She's probably still a little self-conscious especially since Anna was the one who started first. Notice how she's always the one who initiates contact with her sister at the end of the movie. So I imagine that Anna suddenly diving in for a kiss surprising her. I can also imagine Elsa being incredibly scared of making ice sculptures of women.
> 
> So I know the timeline might be a little perplexing so here's to clear it up. The prologue occurs two weeks after the ending of Frozen. The first chapter and the first part of the second chapter all takes place two days after the prologue. The rest of chapter two takes place four days later. And as mentioned in the narrative, this chapter takes place another two days after chapter two. 
> 
> There actually was a Polish revolt in the Russian Empire. Obviously this will be important but I'm not going to say how important... :)
> 
> Once again, I welcome any and all feedback you might have to offer.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks go to [hybrid-rain](http://hybrid-rain.tumblr.com/) as always for being an inspirational canyon, promoting this like mad, and helping me with the second scene and [sporadic-tiger](http://sporadic-tiger.tumblr.com/) for agreeing to be my proofreader and nitpicker, helping me write Olaf, and being unbelievably patient with me.

**Chapter Four**

Hans finished writing his signature with a bit of flourish and set his pen down before flexing his hand to alleviate the tension that had built up since this morning. As he did so, he read the letter he had just completed once more:

 _To the captain of_ Yvsenia

_I am Hans, former prince of the Southern Isles and formerly of House Westerguard. I’m sending this letter to you because I have a job that I believe you are best suited for. Unfortunately I cannot divulge many details without your vow that you will keep our communications confidential but I can assure you that while the job does have its perils, you and your crew will be well compensated for your work. If my offer interest…._

“Hans!” the unmistakeable voice of his host shouted. “Have you heard?!” Scowling at the interruption, he turned around to face the Duke, gripping a piece of paper tightly in his hand.

“Heard what, my lord?” he asked curiously, remaining seated where he was. His eyes followed the short thin man as he strode towards the liquor cabinet in the corner of the room. After a minute of contemplation, the Duke withdrew a crystal bottle nearly full with an amber liquid and poured a generous amount into a goblet. He drained it in one gulp and smacked his lips before filling the glass again. However he refrained from drinking that and instead turned to face Hans at last.

“Heard how much that sorceress has cost me?!” he demanded as he threw the scrap of paper on top of Hans’ letter. Hans himself only hoped the ink had dried. As Hans read the paper, the Duke continued, “In exchange for three million bushels of wheat and two hundred thousand pounds of beef, Arendelle will send two hundred thousand bales of wool. Because the rates of exchange is so absurd, the King in his great and majestic wisdom has decided that _I_ should pay the kingdom for the exports and attempt to sell the imports to recoup my losses, _conveniently_ forgetting that Weselton’s greatest export is wool!”

“That sounds incredibly distressing, my lord,” Hans said blandly. “But I cannot imagine what I can possibly do to help you.”

The Duke released a peculiar mixture between a snarl and a sigh and snapped, “You know perfectly well what you can do.”

“And you know perfectly well what I need,” he countered.

“Fine! I will fund you. I suppose whatever your plans are, they can’t ruin my finances as badly as this farce of a trade deal.”

“Excellent,” Hans said with a smile. He quickly found a small pile of letters and handed them to the Duke. “Then if you would kindly attach letters of credit with these…”

The Duke just held them in shock. “You…you promised these people _my_ funds?” he asked, his voice bordering a shout.

“Well, yes. It was obviously you were going to agree with my proposals.”

“But do you honestly require so much? Look, seventy-five thousand ducats each for the appropriation of three galleasses. An additional four thousand ducats for the captain and crew for each vessel. God knows what you plan to fill those ships with and, more importantly, how much it’ll cost. And…”

“You just said my plans cannot ruin your finances and I assure you, once we are successful, you will receive a neat profit among other things.”

The Duke fumed for a minute, his grip tightening over the letters, before he finally relented. “This better work, Hans,” he grumbled. “Or you will find yourself searching for a new home…”

He walked out, leaving Hans alone in the study. He found the rest of his letter to the _Yvsenia_ to his satisfaction and dropped a dollop of wax, placing the Duke’s seal on the cooling pool. Though the Prince of the Southern Isles, even the youngest one, commanded far more attention than a duke, it was much better than sending a wax seal with no mark. That would be sent with the rest of his letters. _Surely one of them should respond_ , he pondered as he thought of his next steps. Or at least tried. After some time with no luck, he decided to see if the Duke’s alcohol would help inspire genius.

As he walked towards the liquor cabinet, his eyes wandered over the books the Duke kept in the room. He noticed one in particular, _Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded_ , and turned his nose at it, wondering why the Duke even had a copy when an idea came to him. He gave himself a minute to the turn it over and over in his head, considering the best and the worst possible outcomes. It would not require much effort from him nor could it be easily traced back to him. Unless of course he was betrayed. It would not cost him, or rather the Duke, anything. While he doubted that this would have any enduring effect, it would provide a distraction and certainly facilitate any other plans he had. _Yes_ , he concluded. _This could work._   

He nearly tripped over his own feet in his eagerness to return to his desk. He filled his fountain pen and immediately began to write.

*             *             *

For Anna, when not in the company of her beautiful and awesome sister, there were very few things more pleasurable than the warmth of the sun against her face. On this late morning, she laid in the gardens, her stomach against the blanket over the grass. Her legs kicked back and forth according to her fancy and she propped her head up with her hands as she read through one of several books their library had on medicine. Her tutors never liked it when she wanted to read outside because they thought she would get distracted or some nonsense like that but the truth was that she was more prone to losing focus when reading indoors than outdoors.

However she found her attention disrupted by Olaf gleefully running around her like the planets orbiting the sun. After reading the same paragraph three times in a row, she gave it up as a lost cause and was content to watch the little snowman flit from flower to flower, laughing at his antics. She was about to join him when she heard someone approach them. Excited, she leapt to her feet as her fencing instructor walked up to her with a large bag in one hand and two swords in the other.

“Your Highness,” he said, bowing before her. “I’m glad to see you pursuing other interests. Have you considered reading up on anatomy?”

“Anatomy?” repeated Anna.

“Yes, of course. Helps to know where the best places are to strike.”

As he set the bag down for Anna to delve into, Olaf was automatically drawn to the newcomer. “Hi, I’m Olaf!” he greeted, approaching them. “And I like warm hugs!”

Although her instructor simply nodded at him as he strapped on his protective jacket, Anna did notice a small smile form on his weathered face before disappearing. Olaf turned to Anna and asked in a voice he clearly thought was a whisper, “Who is he?”

“Lord Halvert?” Anna said in reply, reaching behind her back to tighten the cords on the leather breast protector. “He’s my fencing instructor. He used to teach my dad so when he found out that I was interested in it, he got him to teach me.”

“Hang on, are those…swords?” he asked, eyeing them apprehensively. “Aren’t those dangerous?”

Anna chuckled as she slipped into her fencing jacket. “No, Olaf, you don’t need to worry,” she said. “The blades are dulled so they won’t stab or slice me.”

“Oh so like a game then?” asked Olaf.

“More than just fun and games,” rebuked Lord Halvert, causing Anna to throw an ugly glare at him.

“No need to be rude, Lord Tight Pants,” she retorted. “But he’s right. Using a sharpened sword isn’t too different from using a dull one. Just it’ll actually hurt.”

“And do you want to…hurt people?” asked Olaf, his voice sounding worried once more.

“Oh no!” cried Anna. But she then thought about it for a second. “Well…only people who want to hurt Elsa or me. And Kristoff and Sven. And you, of course!”

The snowman chuckled merrily, pleased that he was under Anna’s protection. He then asked, “Is it okay if I watch?”

“If it’s all right with Lord Tight Pants over there,” she replied, growing rather fond of her impromptu nickname. The lord in question just shrugged and said, “As long as he doesn’t distract you… Whenever you’re ready, Your Highness.”

As Olaf waddled away to watch from a safe distance, Anna picked up the sword and gave it a few swishes away from her instructor. But when she walked to face him, he simply stared at her for a couple seconds. When whatever message he was trying to convey didn’t sink into her, he cleared his throat a couple of times and said, “Your Highness, your mask.”

“Oh!” she said, dashing towards the bag to retrieve it. As much as she loved the art of sword-fighting, she was never fond of the mask. It was hot, it made her sweat within minutes, she could barely see through it, the list of complaints could go on. However each time she moaned or whined about it, Lord Halvert would recount a story of how this pupil lost an eye or how that student accidentally killed his friend. After the third time, her fears outweighed her annoyance.

As soon she placed the mask on, she rushed to return to her place and the lesson began. Now that she had been trained for nearly ten years in the sport, her lessons were usually just mock duels with her instructor. While she has won her fair share of matches, her victories were naturally grossly outnumbered by her defeats. And this lesson was no different. Bout after bout, she found her instructor’s sword against her leather jacket, sometimes not even before two minutes had passed.

“You’re distracted,” Lord Halvert scolded after their eleventh match. “Should I send the snowman away?”

“No, it’s not him,” she said in between pants of breaths. “It’s…” _It’s Elsa…_ But there was no way she could remove her from her mind; she might as well try to cut off one of her arms. She took a deep breath and tried to find a way to use that. And then a memory of that day came. The metallic shing of _him_ unsheathing his sword rippling through the still winter air. _Him_ looming over her sister with his sword raised high. Her focus sharpened her thoughts like a razor and she felt her righteous anger gather strength.

“I’m ready,” she said. Lord Halvert nodded and went into a guard position. In her head, her fencing instructor was _him_. Behind her was Elsa, busy dealing with some foe or another. Her sister was powerful, no denying that, but even she needed someone to watch her back. And she would be that person. _Parry, parry, riposte, retreat,_ the words drilled into her mind over the years mixed with her thoughts of her sister. She noticed him attempt a disengage and she knew exactly how to counter that. Applying a circle parry, she seized the tiny window of opportunity and made a riposte. The tip of her sword hit him right in the middle of his chest.

“ _Touché_ , Your Highness,” he said. Olaf clapped enthusiastically with his wooden arms and cheered. Anna simply grinned in triumph behind her mask. A grin that slowly dripped away as Lord Halvert went back into another guard position and said, “Again.”

Although she won the next match, the remainder of the lesson saw her fencing instructor as the victor.

“Remember, Your Highness,” Lord Halvert said as they peeled the jackets off their backs. “Focus. Concentrate.”

“Yes, Lord Halvert,” she replied. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure, Your Highness. You are getting better.” And with that, he picked up the fencing equipment and walked away, leaving Anna soaked in her own sweat. Her clothes were stuck to her skin and every time she moved, they made an unpleasant squishing sound. Even Olaf seemed rather reluctant to approach her. She looked at the pond wistfully. Yup, there was no doubt about it. She was due for a very long and a very relaxing bath. Afterwards she would go see what Elsa has been up to. She’d probably want to hear about how her baby sister managed to get two victories over Dad’s fencing instructor.

*             *             *

“Are you sure it is absolutely necessary for you to leave, Your Excellency?” Elsa asked, standing at the docks. Accompanying her was the standard retinue of guards, dressed in their traditional olive green coats. In front of her was Bishop Serslitru, already boarded on the vessel.

“I’m afraid so,” the bishop said. “A personal touch would go a long way in smoothing any opposition from my peers towards you.”

Elsa took a deep breath and exhaled through her nose. She understood why he had to leave but despite her assurances to Anna, she was worried about the _Ordo Malleus_. They seemed to have gained more followers in the past several days.

“I doubt the Pope has any interest in excommunicating you or Arendelle though. After what happened in Paris, they have significantly relaxed their attempts to meddle in secular matters.”

Elsa wondered if the Church would be as accepting once they found that her affections for Anna went far beyond what was acceptable for a sisterly relationship. For a time she had considered confessing her love to Bishop Serslitru even though she herself did not hold much faith into the religion. He had known about her abilities before the coronation and, according to Anna, he understood why Elsa was unable to attend her parents’ funeral and did not seem to judge her for that. But she decided to keep it from him. For now.

“Even after so long?” Elsa asked, her curiosity taking hold of her. Of course she vaguely knew about that fanatical judge in Paris but she didn’t think he was still relevant four centuries later.

The bishop simply nodded and continued, “Bishop Engen will carry out my duties in my absence. With God’s will, I hope to be back within two weeks. Until then, farewell, Your Majesty.” He dipped his chest into a bow.

“Farewell, Your Excellency,” she said. “May the Lord bless your travels.” She took a step backward to allow the sailors retrieve the gangplank and watched as the bishop walked into his chambers on board.

Even as the ship sailed away from Arendelle to the continent, Elsa took a few moments to enjoy the docks, the touch of the ocean breeze whipping against her face and the scent of fresh sea water from the fjord rising into her nose. One day, she mused, she and Anna should take a trip to the seas and simply drift away from their responsibilities, their worries, and their duties. Just for a few days. Just to enjoy each other’s company in the open water. _She would like that_ , she thought as she sighed mentally at the image of the two leaning against each other with only the vast ocean before them. At least she knew what thought would be sustaining her through the work this afternoon.

Upon returning to the palace, the first thing she did was ask Kai to bring some light refreshments to her study. She didn’t share Anna’s love of horseback riding and any journey she undertook on a horse, no matter how short, almost always seemed to drain her. The stack of papers piling on the left side of her desk did nothing to make her exhaustion better. The first on her pile was a letter from Lord Gutherson. At this point, Elsa was contemplating ordering the palace hawks to kill any and all birds coming from him. Not only did he insist on having a sculpture of her, but he also quite subtly and offhandedly implied that her continued refusal would lead him to removing his support. Normally Elsa would have ignored him but the lord controlled some of the construction guilds that were supervising the expansion of the shipyards. So instead she was forced to devote a portion of her mind to devise a polite and courteous yet firm reply as she continued through her paperwork.

The next few letters came from the various empires, British, French, Prussian, Spanish, all proclaiming their willingness to defend the rights of the Polish people and warning Russia to abstain from hostile actions. She wondered if this would end in war and if it did, would her kingdom be asked to participate. Or more importantly, would _she_ be asked to take part. By now, everyone in Europe was aware of her powers and more than a few were probably thinking of ways how she could be used in war.  Right now, she could imagine the threats, the offers, and the persuasions they would make to bring her to their side. And she wanted nothing to do with them. She was Queen Elsa of Arendelle, not some weapon to be wielded for the glory of a foreign empire.

She bundled the letters into a ball and threw it into the fireplace where they would be of better use. Next were reports regarding agriculture, fishing, timber yields, ice harvesting, textile production, and whatever else her little kingdom produced. Those provided her with some relief from her troubles as she continued to read how Arendelle flourished so far despite the early winter. Meanwhile the small part of her mind busily composing a letter in the background cheerfully announced its completion and Elsa took out a sheet of paper to start transcribing the words in her mind.

Once she was done, she placed the letter aside, hoping by the end of the day she would still remember to send it. The next on her pile was a black folder. When she saw the colour, she sighed, knowing that whatever Julia had in store for her, it was not going to be pleasant tidings. And sure enough, inside was a letter and a list. The letter was written from Hans to the captain of a ship called _Jysikli_ , informing him that he had a job he was offering to the captain. At first, the name meant nothing to her until she read the list written in Julia’s hand. It was then she saw that _Jysikli_ was an icebreaker. One of many that Hans has contacted, according to her spymaster. 

 _Of course there could be a completely reasonable explanation why Hans is looking for an icebreaker_ , thought Elsa. _Perhaps he’s planning an arctic exploration._ Naturally most of her mind doubted that but she didn’t think she could have him arrested or killed simply for that. But this bothered her, more than the letter from Lord Gutherson, more than the looming threat of war. She heard the door open and absentmindedly said, “Just set it on the table.” Then she felt a warm presence upon her shoulder and instantly all thoughts were dashed away as red hot panic burned through her mind. She quickly and violently flinched, twisting her shoulder inward and scrambling from her chair. Frost began to creep from where she stood as the beginnings of icicles pointed outward formed around her. It was only when she heard the cry of surprise did she realise that the warm presence was Anna.

“I’m sorry!” she immediately said, covering her mouth with her hands. “Oh god, I’m so sorry, Elsa!”

“Oh, Anna!” Elsa said as she tried to control her rapid breaths. “It’s okay, you just scared me, that’s all.”

Then someone knocked against the door and said through it, “Your Majesty. Is everything all right in there?”

Raising her voice, Elsa said, “Yes, yes. Everything is fine. No need for concern.” As she heard the guard retreat back to his post, she noticed that Anna still had her hands over her mouth and even behind them, she knew that her lips were quivering.

“Anna…” she began.

“You just looked so upset,” Anna said faintly. “I only wanted to comfort you. But then you looked…you looked really frightened. Like I was going to attack you or something. If we’re going to be together, like a couple, we have to learn to trust each other…”

“I know, Anna,” Elsa said. “I know… I was just…scared I was going to hurt you.”

“But that’s the thing, Elsa!” she cried, throwing her arms downward. “You keep trying to protect me when you don’t need to. Not anymore. And in fact, by trying to protect me, you are _hurting_ me.”

Her words stung Elsa like a slap across the face. A well-deserved slap. Shame dripped from the top of her skull down to her toes. This time there was no justification or excuse for her behaviour. She _was_ wrong here. She bent her head down and simply looked at her gloved hands as they fidgeted against each other. But she also turned her body so that it was facing Anna completely. She sensed Anna moving towards her, hesitantly at first. But then each step grew bolder and bolder. Meanwhile her instincts were roiling, shouting at her to move, to flee, to get out. Elsa clenched her fists and mentally smothered their voices with a blast of ice. A part of her powers must have escaped her subconscious because the frost around her thickened and spread. But Anna still continued forward.

She felt her warm hands grab hers and gently peel the gloves off them. Then while one hand continued to hold Elsa’s hands, the other made its way up her arm. It rested for a brief minute on her shoulder, massaging her clavicle through her gown before moving along her neck. She felt her skin prickle as Anna’s fingers glided up her throat and held her chin. She slowly lifted her sister’s head until their eyes met each other.

“See,” Anna said with a soft smile. “Do I look hurt to you?”

Elsa smiled weakly in response as she thought about how foolish she had been. “No, no, you don’t, Anna,” she admitted. “In fact, you look beautiful.”

Anna’s cheeks glowed with a delicate pinkish tingle while her smile widened at the compliment. Or perhaps at the confession. Elsa could never tell her with her little sister.

There was yet another knock against the door, pulling the two sisters from their mutual adoration. Freeing her hands from Anna’s grasp and hastily dismissing the ice she made, she asked, “Who is it?”

“Kai, Your Majesty,” the voice responded. “With the Home Secretary.”

“Come in,” she said. Anna began to move as if to leave but Elsa shook her head at her. “You can stay,” she added in a whisper.

The door opened and the Home Secretary entered. He bowed and greeted, “Your Majesty. Your Highness.”

“Secretary Hovland,” Elsa said. “What brings you here?”

“Disturbing news, I’m afraid, Your Majesty. Disciples of the _Ordo Malleus_ are on the street, preaching to the people.”

“They have that right,” countered Elsa. “Same as the Facets of Snow.”

“But they’re not just proselytising, Your Majesty. They’re bringing accusations against you and Your Highness. They say that you have engaged in incest.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the ideas that I had but never had the chance to actually introduce it in the story yet is the emergence of a cult that worship Elsa. Of course I can't see either Elsa or Anna being incredibly comfortable with that but they exist almost like a counterbalance to the Ordo Malleus. 
> 
> I'm not a professional or, for that matter, an amateur fencer so if I got anything wrong, please forgive me. Anna being into fencing is as much of a desire for her to do something as it is a rather interesting idea. She certainly has the upper body strength for it and a few moments aside, she does have remarkable foot coordination. Otherwise, the movie would have ended a lot sooner during the "Love's an Open Door" sequence. Also the idea of her being into medicine came when I thought that Anna would eventually learn to patch her own wounds from her misadventures. I can picture her being good with basic first aid but she has no desires to be a surgeon or anything like that.
> 
> To clarify, Elsa's Royal Council includes: the Royal Treasurer, the Lord Commander, the Home Secretary, the Royal Director of Foreign Affairs, and the Spymaster.
> 
> Once again, I welcome any and all feedback you might have to offer.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks go to [hybrid-rain](http://hybrid-rain.tumblr.com/) as always for being an inspirational canyon, promoting this like mad, and tolerating my "look at how clever I am" moods and [sporadic-tiger](http://sporadic-tiger.tumblr.com/) for agreeing to be my proofreader and nitpicker and giving me a creative insult for Anna to use.

“’The sorceress Elsa, not content with tainting the royal throne of Arendelle with her vile magic, has now seen fit to corrupt the bed of kings and queens with acts of fornication between herself and her sister, Anna. There can be no mistake about it. If these blasphemous sisters are not removed and judged before the Lord, then He will send his wrath upon us. Like Sodom before, our kingdom will be burned with hellfire. Thus saith the Lord.’” Elsa finished reading one of apparently many pamphlets spread throughout Arendelle and let the paper fall onto the table dismissively. “So they added a bit where apparently my sister and I engage in carnal acts with each other. I don’t see how this is otherwise any different from the usual fire and brimstone ravings they spew.”

“But Your Majesty, to be accused of such indecent behaviours would sour our reputation abroad!” Director Fossen protested.

“Then what do you propose we do?” she asked.

“Stamp the rumours out, Your Majesty,” he suggested. “Send men to find and destroy these pamphlets wherever they can be found, shut down taverns and cafés that allow talk about these matters, and charge Bishop Mathesien with malicious slander.”

 _Those sound like good ideas_ , Anna thought as she sat next to her sister who looked like she honestly couldn’t care less about this _Ordo Malleus_ , which really confused her. She could never understood how she could be so calm about these nutters.

“You could also marry,” proposed the Home Secretary. “Your engagement would certainly be taken as proof that these rumours are false.”

Immediately Anna whipped her head towards him with a glare that could make flowers wither and small animals faint.  No way was she going to let her big sister marry some snobby lord because a bunch of lunatics scared her into it. Fortunately for her, no one seemed to notice her expression as they all chimed in their approval to the ideas. All of them except the only person who mattered: Elsa. Oh, and the spymaster.

So naturally Elsa turned to the spymaster and asked, “What do you suggest, Mistress Julia?”

“What do I suggest?” she repeated in a voice that sounded too surprised to be true. She shrugged and said, “Nothing.”

 _This is our spymaster?!_ Anna thought angrily. _Nothing?!_ She wondered why Elsa liked her so much if she suggested silly ideas like that. And apparently so did the rest of the council because they began to mutter furiously. The Royal Director of Foreign Affairs was particularly vocal.

“Are you mad?” he very nearly roared. “Do _nothing_?”

“Do you know how you best deal with a wildfire, Lord Director?” Mistress Julia calmly asked. “If the fire is at no risk of causing damage or harm, the best course is often to let the flames burn themselves out. That is what this rumour is. If we let the rumour be, eventually the common people will grow tired of it and find interest elsewhere and the rumour will die out. However, if we attempt to suppress it, then they will continue to discuss it. They will wonder if we have something to hide and breathe further life into it.”

After taking a minute to digest her words, Anna found herself quickly revising her opinion of Julia. Elsa nodded in agreement and then suddenly, turning her face towards Anna, asked, “What about you? What do you think?”

“Um…me?” she asked in shock, holding her right hand against her chest. She did not expect to be asked for her input. The only reason why she was at the meeting in the first place was because she somehow got dragged into it by her sister.

Elsa nodded again. “Yes, Anna. This rumour concerns you as well. You should have a say into what we do.”

“Well,” Anna said, clearing her throat and trying to sound a lot more confident than she was. “I like what Mistress Julia said but I don’t think we should just do absolutely nothing. Like I know we can’t make everyone shut up about it, but couldn’t we….I don’t know…get someone to say it’s not true?”

“That’s an idea, Your Highness,” Mistress Julia said. “Obviously we should not make any _official_ proclamation regarding the rumours. But we can sow doubt in more subtle ways. It shouldn’t be too difficult to use either my seeds or the Lord Secretary’s covert officers to do that.”

“Also…” Anna began before faltering as she noticed everyone looking at her. It was only when Elsa nodded encouragingly did she continue. “Just how many people think my sister and I are sleeping with each other?”

The Home Secretary replied, “From what the City Watch reported, certain districts of the city are more inclined to believe the rumours than others. But as of now, it would appear that while the majority of the people are uncertain about the veracity to the accusations, the rumour has been the most popular topic to discuss at public areas.”

Elsa asked, “And has Bishop Mathesien or anyone else in the order brought forth proof to their accusations?”

“They claim to have the testimony of a maid who wasded recently dismissed because she had spied on Your Majesty and Your Highness performing sexual acts with each other.”

Anna’s eyebrows came together as she struggled to decide what was more ridiculous: the fact they thought they had sex or the fact that people actually believed them. They haven’t even _kissed_. But they did spend their nights in the same room…so if someone had been spying on them, they could easily guess…

Elsa’s eyebrows disappeared into her bangs. “That’s peculiar,” she said. “I don’t seem to recall either Gerda or Kai dismissing anyone from the household staff. Has this maid publically testified?”

“I’m afraid not, Your Majesty. The bishop has said that after the maid confessed to him, she took a vow of silence and retreated to a convent.”

“How very convenient,” Anna muttered under her breath. Again no one seemed to notice her except for the spymaster who gave her a brief smirk.

“Very well, then,” Elsa said, after a moment of thinking. “This is what I want. Mistress Julia, I would like you to find this woman. Question her if possible and discover if there were any…motivators for her testimony.”

“Noted, Your Majesty,” she said, with a small incline of her head.

“Secretary Hovland, assign some of the more discreet members of the City Watch to begin spreading word to counter these accusations among the more public places. Taverns, docks, market squares, cafés. Mistress Julia, if you could please do the same, please.”

“At once, Your Majesty,” he said while the spymaster just nodded.

The Lord Commander cleared his throat and asked, “Your Majesty, would you like me to increase the palace guards until these falsehoods have died out?”

Elsa was about to reply when Anna interjected, “Yes.”

Her sister turned to her and opened her mouth to say something but Anna swiftly looked back at her and continued, “Look, I understand if you don’t want to send the City Watch or anyone else against this bishop and his followers but you should at least try to protect yourself.” She widened her eyes in hopes that her sister could see the plea in them.

To Anna’s relief, she did. “Very well,” Elsa said. “Lord Commander, you heard my sister.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Your Highness,” he confirmed with a nod.

“Now, lady and gentlemen,” the queen said as she stood up, Anna following suit. “If you will kindly excuse me, I would like to retire to my chambers.”

They all stood up and bowed, or curtseyed in Mistress Julia’s case, as the two sisters walked out of the council room.

“Elsa, I…” Anna began to say but Elsa shook her head, causing her to frown. She hoped she didn’t do anything wrong when she told the Lord Commander to put more guards in the palace. Maybe it would look like the princess is trying to take some power from the queen but honestly she was just concerned with her sister’s safety. There wasn’t anything wrong with that, right? She would hate it if she caused another break to form in their relationship. Especially since Elsa was beginning to open up to her touch.

It was only when they entered their bedroom did Elsa finally speak. “I’m sorry if I seemed rude earlier,” she immediately said. “I just didn’t want anyone listening into what we say.”

“Well if someone reportedly spied on us in this room, wouldn’t that mean it’s not safe to talk in here?” asked Anna.

Her sister shook her head and said, “I don’t think so… Do you get the feeling this rumour makes absolutely no sense?”

She thought about it for a few seconds and exclaimed, “Yeah! I mean, first of all, we haven’t even…you know…done it. Let alone on Mum and Dad’s bed.” Neither of them mentioned that none of them felt comfortable sleeping in their room after their passing.

“And no one but Gerda is allowed in our room to clean. Plus if she or Kai had to fire someone, they would have told me first.”

“So the maid probably doesn’t even exist. They probably made that up along with the fact we’re having sex on our parents’ bed.”

“Everything about this is made up except for the part we’re in a relationship,” Elsa said, her voice faltering at the end. “…We are together like that, right?”

“Of course, silly,” Anna replied playfully although her heart sank knowing that Elsa still needed confirmation that they were a couple. “But how would they know that part? No one heard us except Olaf and he would sooner throw himself into a fire than betray us. Unless the Spymaster had someone listening…”

Elsa shook her head furiously. “Absolutely not. I strictly told her that she couldn’t plant her seeds in my old bedroom.” She tilted her head to the side in confusion. “I thought you knew that already. Wasn’t that why you wanted to talk in that room?”

Anna winced and admitted, “Actually…I just chose that room because I thought Olaf could hide in there more easily.”

“Oh…” she said. “Well, that does make sense… So if we rule out Olaf and, unless Julia has suddenly decided to go against my commands…or do you think she has, Anna?”

She frowned and replied, “I don’t know her as well as you do, Elsa. But she spies on people and lies for a job.” She finished with a shrug, causing her sister to frown contemplatively.

“Maybe…or maybe…” she said, her voice drifting away.

“Maybe what, Elsa?”

“Maybe they made that bit up as well,” she finished. “Julia might not be the most honest woman in the world but she certainly isn’t stupid. She has nothing to gain by disobeying or betraying me. Even if she knows we’re romantically together, she isn’t going to run and tell people.”

“Okay so if this Bishop Mathesien just made up the entire incest rumour, why did he choose now of all times to announce it?” Anna asked. “He obviously doesn’t care about getting proof and he has to know that sooner or later, people will find out that he’s the biggest liar in all of Arendelle.”

“I don’t know,” Elsa admitted as she began to pace around the room, each step adding a thin coat of frost on the hardwood floor. “And that’s what worries me the most. What if he’s preparing for something worse?”

“But I thought you said he or the people in his cult weren’t going to do anything, Elsa.”

“That was before he tried to spread an obviously fake rumour. And I seem to recall I also said everyone else thinks they’re a bunch of nutters but now I don’t know.”

“Well, everyone still thinks that…right?” She added hesitantly.

“I don’t know!” Elsa repeated, frustration leaking into her voice. Her hands balled up into fists and now ice began to form around her. “Which is why I don’t know what to do. This whole situation is unstable and if I make the wrong move, I could just make this _worse_!”

“Well, let’s start with what we know,” Anna said in a soothing tone, sitting on the bed and gesturing for Elsa to join her. She did and although the frost still remained on the floor, thankfully the bed had not begun to freeze over. Yet. “So we know that Bishop Mathesien hates you and thinks you should leave or die otherwise the kingdom will be doomed.”

“ _Us_ , Anna,” corrected Elsa. “He hates us _both_.”

“Yeah, okay,” Anna said dismissively. “He has a group of followers who either believe him or are forced in some way into supporting him. When did he first appear?”

“Ummm….” her sister said, looking up to the ceiling to remember. “Maybe a couple days after the Great Thaw?”

“Okay so for about three weeks or so, he just preaches about how evil we both apparently are. Suddenly he decides to drop this rumour on us. Why do that now? What’s changed?”

“I…oh…” Elsa gasped as realisation seemed to hit her. “Right…”

“What?” asked Anna concernedly.

“Bishop Serslitru.”

“The guy who crowned you?” _And presided Mum and Dad’s funeral_ , she added in her head.

“Yeah. He had to go to Rome to argue that I should be allowed to keep my crown. Of course. And while he’s gone, Bishop Mathesien can go in and grab as much power and support as possible before he returns. But…that still doesn’t make any sense…”

“What doesn’t?”

“Whatever power he has isn’t going to last long. As soon as Bishop Serslitru comes back with the Pope approving my reign, not many people are going to support him much longer.”

“Well what if he’s trying to ruin your case with the Pope? The Royal Director guy said that these rumours are going to make us look bad abroad. Maybe that’s the point?”

“Perhaps…he would know when Bishop Serslitru would be leaving for Rome so that could explain why he choose today to spread those lies. But I don’t think that’s what he wants.”

“But…” Anna started to say. She wanted to tell her that if Bishop Serslitru failed to convince the Pope to let her keep the throne, then she could be forced out and Anna would have to take over. Or worse, the Pope could condemn her as a witch, giving all of their potential enemies an excuse to go to war against them to remove her from the throne. But she knew that Elsa knew that as well as she did, probably even better. So she trusted her sister’s judgment and stayed silent.

Elsa didn’t seem to notice as she got up from the bed and sighed. “Anna,” she asked in a soft voice, her head facing away from her. “Do you think I’m doing the right thing?”

Anna was at a loss for words. While she had seen more of who her sister was underneath her queenly mask, she had never seen her so uncertain. She was _Elsa_ , the perfect powerful queen, full of grace, wisdom, kindness, and justice. She was the one Anna looked to when she was feeling weak or conflicted. She was the one that she sought for guidance and strength. The one person that would assure her everything was all right. To see their relationship reversed like this was just strange.

But she knew what she needed to do. She stood up and walked to her sister. Then she wrapped her arms around her sister’s chest, over her stomach. She could feel Elsa tense up just a bit. Just enough that Anna and Anna alone would have noticed. But she then felt her sister relax into her body and her hands hold her wrists and brought them closer. She leaned her head closer to Elsa’s ear and whispered, “Elsa. No matter what you do, I know you will always do the right thing. And you know I will always be here for you.”

Learning her lesson from earlier, Anna refrained from kissing her sister, not even a chaste peck on the cheek. But she did nuzzle her head against the curve of Elsa’s neck and was rewarded when she felt her sister tilt her head towards hers. _This is where she belonged_ , she thought, _at her side_. And as long as they were together, nothing, not the _Ordo Malleus_ , not the Pope, not all the kingdoms and all the empires in the world would ever pull them apart again.

*             *             *

Elsa sat behind her desk in the study with her glasses perched on her nose. The lamps were lit and the fire was cheerfully consuming the letters she had thrown in the hearth earlier that day. While her eyes read the words on the papers in front of her, her mind was far too distracted to allow them to be absorbed. She sighed, probably for the thirtieth time that evening since she entered this room. She couldn’t begin to sift through the matters that clamoured for her attention. Of course, there were the rumours that the _Ordo Malleus_ was spreading. It appeared nightfall only brought more curious listeners and while the Home Secretary reported only a small percentage of people believed them, it was an increase from this afternoon. Consequently support for the cult have grown as well. Marginally, of course, he had said. No reason for concern.

Then there were the concerns abroad. The outcome of Bishop Serslitru’s mission in Rome could be affected by what she did here in Arendelle and she had no way of knowing what direction her actions would direct it. And should the bishop fail and her reign come into doubt, she would only gain more attention from empires, now given an excuse to drag Arendelle into their affairs. They wouldn’t threaten her, not at first. They had to be civilised first. They would make offers instead. “Join my side and I can guarantee your sovereignty,” they would say. “Refuse and we will have no choice but to remove a blasphemer and a witch from power.” She was powerful, true, but even she couldn’t challenge all the empires in the world without dooming her kingdom.

And there were also the concerns and the support of her people. To be frank, no ruler was ever truly beloved by all of his or her people. In the bazaars of Agrabah, people still muttered bitterly about “The Street Rat Sultan” and in the dark corners of certain taverns, one could hear malicious gossip regarding “The Robber Prince of Corona”. Not even the princesses and queens, those who were once lost and then found, were spared from insults. “The Ragged Princess” and “The Servant Queen” were some of the kindest labels hurled at them. Elsa knew she was not universally loved in Arendelle. She knew her outburst on her coronation had its consequences and no matter how much she strived to make up for them, there would be those, both common and noble, who either continued to fear her or hate her for whatever reason. Nevertheless, they were still citizens of Arendelle and as their ruler, she had to consider their wishes as well as the wishes of others and make her decisions that would help the greatest number of people.

Finally, there was Anna, her sister and apparently, now her lover. But for how long, she didn’t know. It wasn’t that Elsa didn’t trust her to stay loyal to her. Far from it. It was that she didn’t trust _herself_ to be worthy of Anna’s faith and affection. Maybe one day, she wouldn’t be able to fully return her love or she would jump like a frightened mouse at her touch one too many times. And it would be too much for her sister to bear and she would rightfully find someone who deserved her love more. She never knew that being in a relationship could be so stressful. But it was worth it. It was worth the worries to wake up and see her sister’s beautiful fiery hair in an endearing mess around her head bathed in the sunlight. It was worth struggling against years of self-discipline to feel her warm hands against her skin and surrender herself into her caressing embrace.

A knock on the study door took her away from her thoughts of her sister. “Begging your pardon, Your Majesty,” the guard shouted from the other side. “Mistress Julia here to see you.”

“Please let her in,” she replied. Part of the increase in palace guards was now there was a pair of guards that followed her everywhere she went. At least for now they had the courtesy of standing outside of the rooms.

The door opened and Julia stepped in. “Your Majesty,” she greeted.

“Mistress Julia,” Elsa said as she set her glasses on her desk and prepared to slip her hands into her gloves. But Julia shook her head and said, “No need to trouble yourself for my sake.”

She made a small frown as she deliberately dropped them on her desk.

“I believe you summoned me, Your Majesty,” Julia said smoothly. “What concerns do you have?”

“This rumour. My sister and I have been thinking it over.”

“Oh?” she said, taking a seat. “And what conclusions have you and Her Highness arrived at?”

“That the rumour is completely fabricated,” Elsa replied. “The maid who provided him with the testimony likely does not exist. Both Kai and Gerda told me they haven’t made any dismissals recently.”

Julia nodded. “My seeds have visited all the convents in Arendelle and report that none of them have accepted anyone in the past month. What else?”

“The timing of the rumour’s release is too neat to be coincidental. He chose to spread it on the very day Bishop Serslitru left for Rome which means he’s been planning this for quite some time. For the short term gains, he will spread uncertainty about my ability to rule and use the ensuing chaos to gain some support and power for himself.”

Julia nodded again and asked, “And for the long run?”

Elsa’s frown deepened and admitted, “I have no idea. Anna thinks he wants to sabotage my case with the Pope.”

“A reasonable guess, Your Majesty. And this is where you want my opinion?” she said, tilting her head.

“No, this is where I want you to tell me why your seed in the cult haven’t told us about this rumour earlier.”

Julia straightened her neck and replied, “He didn’t report it because he only heard about it this afternoon. The same time we did. I’m afraid he isn’t planted deep enough to be privy with the bishop’s more intimate plans.”

 _A reasonable enough explanation_ , Elsa thought. “So what _does_ he have to report?” she asked.

“The bishop has been in steady correspondence with someone not in Arendelle. We are attempting to find out who and where.”

“And efforts to intercept these messages?”

“The palace hawks are of no use, I’m afraid. The messenger birds most frequently used here have grown rather adept at avoiding them. But I don’t think they would fare as well with a Xiongnu falcon.”

Elsa tilted her head as she struggled to recall the name from her lessons. “I’m afraid I’m not familiar with them,” she confessed a minute later.

“They’re commonly found in the areas north of China, Your Majesty. Regarded as one of the most intelligent, fastest, and most deadly birds. It’s tradition for the Chanyu of the Xiongnu people to have one as a pet.”

“Would they be fast enough to get here to be of any service though?” asked Elsa sceptically.

“Oh, we wouldn’t have to bring them from their natural territory. The Royal Falconry in Oslo will have more than a few, from which we can borrow. For a price, of course.”

“Take what you want from the treasury. You always have anyway.”

Julia smirked with a childish delight. “Just the one for Bishop Mathesien?”

Elsa thought for a minute and shook her head. “Two. One for him. The other for Hans.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty. Anything else?”

“As a matter of fact, yes,” Elsa said. “What measures have you taken to secure the palace from spies and eavesdroppers?”

For once in this meeting, Julia frowned as she droned, “The usual befitting a queen. My own seeds among the household staff, the palace owls and cats for trained rodents and birds, comprehensive background checks of recent employees. Why? If you suspect the maid to be a figment of the bishop’s imagination, then surely you would have no need for concern for prying eyes.”

“Just…being thorough, Mistress Julia,” she replied with a sigh. She probably sounded paranoid to her but right now, she couldn’t care less. Anna’s safety was everything to her and she had to know if she was safe in their own bedroom. “Thank you for your time.”

“It was my pleasure, Your Majesty,” she said with a final smirk. Elsa watched her as she rose from her chair, curtseyed once more, and departed. It was only when the door closed with a sharp click did she release a loud and gaping yawn that had been building up for the past hour or so. Her eyelids were feeling like weights and as comfortable as her chair in the study was, it was quickly becoming a temptation to just close her eyes and sleep. But she had her duties. As she placed her glasses back on, she gave a passing thought to wonder just what Anna was up to now.

*             *             *

Anna, as it transpired, was at the training yard, standing in front of a leather mannequin that represented a man’s head, neck, and torso with an anatomy book open at her feet and her rapier in her hand. She hardly ever practiced so soon after a lesson but Elsa was busy with queen duties and she kept finding herself too distracted for anything else. Plus she wanted to try her instructor’s advice. About three-quarters of the book she couldn’t make heads or tails from, her mind reeling with all the complicated Latin words. Seriously, who knew there could be so many muscles in just your forearm? But she knew that people needed blood to live and places where a lot of blood was moving seemed really important. And she did know what all the vital parts of the body are and, with the help of her book, she found them on the dummy she dubbed “Freddie”.

She started with simple lunges, shifting her weight forward and back with every attack. She found that was slightly different from her lessons with Lord Halvert. While in their bouts she was free to hit anywhere on his torso she liked, here she had a specific location in mind to attack and oftentimes she would miss it to her frustration. But as time went on, the tip of her sword strayed closer and closer to her target. When she was satisfied with her progress, she changed sword hands, using her left instead. Soon it got to the point where she could call her targets and hit almost exactly where she said it would with either hand.

“Throat!” she cried, lunging forward. Her sword tapped Freddie’s neck right under his chin.

“Right chest!” Her sword landed at a point where, according to her anatomy book, was between the ribs and right through the lung.

“Stomach!” Although this time Anna hit a place that she had to guess was the liver. She frowned as she looked down at her book to confirm.  When she looked up to verify where her sword landed, she suddenly had a brilliant idea. She tried to picture in place of Freddie’s featureless face, the face of Bishop Mathesien. Which was admittedly rather difficult since she never actually met the man.

Nevertheless in front of her, she saw a man dressed in black and violet robes with a withered wrinkled face. His nose stuck out so far from his face that it was almost like a beak. By contrast his eyes were so sunken that it looked he had no eyes at all. But they gleamed bright with pure hatred for her sister. And when he opened his mouth, Anna imagined the lies and malice pouring out of his throat like black sticky goo. She wasn’t sure if this is what he actually looked like and to be completely honest, she really didn’t care.

She yelled,” So! You think my sister is a witch, huh? You think she deserves to die?” She leaned back, twirled her sword a few times, and bared her teeth in challenge. “Well, take this, you miserable crusty botch of nature!” She lunged forward and struck him just below his left shoulder. She withdrew back and struck again. And again, each attack accompanied with an insult that grew more and more creative. She found joy, pretending the dummy she was abusing so gleefully was the man who was giving Elsa so much trouble. But just as she aimed to strike the mirage of the bishop in the heart, the image in her mind abruptly changed. And in its place was _him_. Dressed in the green winter coat, his mouth twisted in a smirk full of sadistic pleasure. He was holding his sword high in the air and slowly bringing it down.

“No!” Anna cried, much like she did that day. Only this time, instead of blocking the sword with her bare fingers, she parried with a sword of her own. “No! No! No!” she continued to scream as she slashed frantically at him. She promptly lost control, forgetting every lesson she had learned over the years as she swung and whipped her sword in wild motions with every ounce of her rage and her strength. All she saw was _him_ coming after Elsa and all she knew was that she was the only person between them and the only person who could stop him. “No…” she finally whispered with a sob, falling to her knees and letting go of her sword.

“Your Highness…” a voice asked. “Are you all right?”

“Yes…yes,” she replied weakly in between rapid breaths. She blinked her eyes a few times to bring her head back into this world and turned to see Evald, one of the guards assigned to her protection, with his hand held out. She grabbed it and allowed him to help her pick herself off the stone floor. It was only when she got up and took a few deep breathes did she see the damage she wrecked on poor Freddie.

While she certainly didn’t receive him in the best of conditions, he was at least somewhat intact. Now…? Deep slashes were scored across the thick leather and in a few places, she could see the padding peeking through his wounds. Freddie’s head was only attached to his body by an inch or two of neck. Not that would have helped since he also had a massive wound against his temple that looked like someone took an axe to it. Or a very angry princess swung her sword at it like an axe. And to finish him off, sticking out of his chest where his heart would be if he had one was Anna’s rapier. When she looked behind him, she could see three inches of her blade had pierced through his body.

Knowing that tomorrow she was going to be called to account for the horrifically maimed Freddie, Anna grabbed her sword and pulled. Frowning at the motionless sword, she pulled again, only harder. The sword still refused to budge. She growled, used the other hand to grip Freddie’s shoulder, and tried again. The sword remained stuck.

Feeling rather embarrassed now, she sheepishly asked, “Uhh… Evald? Help?” She tilted her head towards the impaled dummy. Evald grinned at her as he took the sword and pulled. He was as successful as she was in the task. For a few minutes, he tried tugging on it until they tried a different method. First she pulled on the sword while he pulled on the dummy in the opposite direction. Then they switched positions and tried again. Neither worked. Had it been any other sword, Anna would be tempted to just leave it there and maybe use Freddie as a trophy of some sort. But the rapier had been forged as a gift from her father for her eighteenth birthday. A gift he would never give. And while she held a small grudge on him for his well-intentioned but misguided decisions, he was still her father and she still loved and missed him.

They ended up calling Tormond, Anna’s other guard, to help and with Anna holding the sword and her two guards seizing the mannequin, all three of them groaned and strained from the effort for several minutes until finally the sword was separated from Freddie. She staggered a few steps from the force and carefully inspected her rapier. It looked to be undamaged from her outburst but she made a mental remainder to bring it to the Royal Armourer tomorrow for his inspection.

“Are you done, Your Highness?” asked Evald. “Or would you like us to find another dummy for you to destroy?”

Tormond chuckled and said, “Actually, I don’t know, Evald. I reckon this one still got a little life in him.”

Anna joined them in their laughter as she sheathed her sword. “No, I think I’m done for today,” she said. “Take me to the baths first and then I’ll retire for the night.”

They nodded and opened the door for her. As she passed, she turned her head back. And what she saw wasn’t the wounded leather body of Freddie. She saw Elsa’s enemies and their fates should they ever try to hurt her big sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was interesting to write because it's fairly Anna-heavy compared to previous chapters. This was inspired partly because the challenges I face writing Anna and partly because parts of the Elsanna fandom have felt she's been neglected, a sentiment I share. And this story is going to be an exploration of both sisters and how they're both different yet similar to each other. And for a "look at how clever I am" moment, I deliberately wrote it so Anna would know her guards' names but not the people on the Council and vice versa for Elsa. Also I'm trying to address some of the problematic parts of their past here and there with my own interpretations. 
> 
> According to Wikipedia, Shan Yu's falcon is apparently a Saker falcon but I decided to make it a fictional species because a. he's far too intelligent to not be fictional and b. because it's cooler. Speaking of, notice how the animals in the Disneyverse, even the ones that don't talk, are rather intelligent. Think of all the ways that could change society. It would certainly make messenger birds much more reliable.
> 
> And yes, the nicknames I thought for Aladdin and Eugene seemed reasonable because people are always going to be mean and people are always going to use cruel nicknames.
> 
> Thank you for the support, guys, and please, if you have any comments or criticism, tell me.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks go to [hybrid-rain](http://hybrid-rain.tumblr.com/) as always for being an inspirational canyon, promoting this like mad, and helping me with this chapter and [sporadic-tiger](http://sporadic-tiger.tumblr.com/) for agreeing to be my proofreader and nitpicker.

Elsa grumbled for the fifth or sixth time since waking up forty minutes ago. “I can’t believe you let me sleep in so late,” she moaned as she brushed out the knots of her hair. She glanced at her sister's reflection from the mirror. Anna, dressed in lovely shades of green, grinned as best she could with the piece of bread in her mouth.

“You just looked so precious and so peaceful,” Anna mumbled through her breakfast. She yanked the occupying piece out and continued, “Besides, I did wake you up before your big important council meeting. Give me some credit, snowflake.”

She grumbled again, this time mumbling about irritating little sisters and their inappropriate sunny dispositions, causing her sister’s smile to widen.

“As the sovereign queen of Arendelle,” Anna said in an accent highly reminiscent of their governess. “It is your job to keep your kingdom peaceful, prosperous, and overall happy. And as your princess, little sister, and loving girlfriend, it is my job to keep you healthy and happy enough so you can do your job.” Her voice reverted back to normal. “Do you even remember what time you went to bed last night?”

Elsa screwed her eyes upward as she tried to think. “Ehh…one?” she guessed. “No…two, two-thirty,” she quickly corrected.

Anna blinked at her and said, “Wow, Elsa…you must have been really out of it. Try three-fifteen.”

She shrugged. When she was up that late, which did happen on occasion, the hours tended to blend together to her.  “Whatever,” she said dismissively, giving her brush one last good tug. She turned her head this way and that to examine her handiwork. “That was just a one-time thing.”

“It better be, Elsa,” she scolded. “Or the next time, I’m just going to let you sleep until the afternoon.”

Elsa gasped and said, “You wouldn’t…” Her sister could cross the line between playful banter to genuine threats with unsettling ease. She looked at her apprehensively as she placed her hands behind her head to arrange her hair.

Anna smiled in a way that revealed nothing about her intentions and got off their bed. “Here let me,” she offered. Elsa relaxed her hands. She could at least trust her with her hair, especially since Anna probably loved much more than she did. “How do you want it? French braid gracefully over your shoulder?”

She shook her head. “No, the bun like Mum’s, please,” she requested.

Her sister gave a greatly exaggerated sigh. ‘You know I like it in a braid more,” she moaned as she nevertheless went to do her sister’s bidding. “Hey! Maybe you can try something new this time.”

“Anna, I don’t think now is a good time to start experimenting with my hair. Although I always wanted to try twin braids again…”

Anna whipped her head wildly from side to side, her own plaits swinging with it. “Nuh-uh,” she said. “That’s _my_ thing. I thought we decided that.”

“Yeah, we decided that when I was _six_ , Anna.”

“Still counts!” she chirped.

Elsa rolled her eyes in the overly affectionate yet mildly annoyed fashion that only older siblings could as she patiently waited for her sister to finish her work. She felt her cheeks warm slightly when Anna carefully smoothed out the bangs over her head. When she was done, Elsa examined it in the mirror although there was really no need. Her sister’s work was beautiful as always. She then waved her hand over it to conjure a few snowflakes to decorate her hair. She stood up to make one last inspection of herself.

“Okay,” she said, satisfied with how she looked in the dark blue gown she had selected. “Ready?”

There was no reply.

“Ready, Anna?” she repeated, turning to find her sister gazing at her with dreamy eyes. In fact Elsa was almost certain she heard her sigh wistfully.

“Little snoowwwbuggg,” she drawled, resisting the urge to wave her hand in front of her face. That was enough to draw the princess into reality.

“Uh, yeah, what?” she said in rapid succession.

“Ready?” Elsa asked patiently.

“Yes, yes!” replied Anna excitedly. “Let’s go!”

When they walked out of the door, or rather Elsa regally walked out of the door with Anna bouncing around her sister, the four guards assigned to them bowed and then followed them from a discreet distance. Elsa asked, “I still don’t understand why you decided to come to the council meeting.”

Anna replied, “I’ve never been to one before and I just want to see what it’s like.”

“You have, remember?” Elsa said as they continued to walk.

“Like a normal one,” she insisted.

“We’re probably just going to discuss that silly rumour again.”

“Well…it’s not like I have anything else better to do.”

“Fencing?”

“Lord Halvert’s busy teaching someone else.”

“By yourself?”

“I was kicked out of their training yard until I buy a new Freddie.”

Elsa had no idea who or what “Freddie” was and had a feeling she didn’t want to find out what happened to him. “Lessons?”

“You know I don’t have any until September.”

“Olaf?”

“Trying to learn how to fly from the castle towers.”

“Kristoff? Oh no…wait…” Elsa said, realising her mistake far too late. She covered her mouth with her hands. However Anna didn’t seem to notice.

“What?” she said. “Oh, no, Elsa, you’re…” She finally turned towards her sister to see her shaking her head. Anna’s eyes widened in confusion and her lips seemed to say something along the lines of “What’s going on?”

Elsa tilted her head towards the guards still following behind them. While she doubted that they overheard anything scandalous and, even if they did, would report it, she didn’t want to take that chance if it would breathe further life into that disgusting lie. _This isn’t fear, right?_ she asked herself. _Just being cautious…_

Anna seemed to have understood because she stopped talking and both girls remained silent until they had reached the council room. The pair of guards posted at the door also bowed to them before opening the doors for them. Once they walked inside, her Council immediately rose from their seats and bowed _again_ , muttering “Your Majesty, Your Highness”. They only sat down after Elsa and Anna settled into their respective chairs with Elsa vaguely wondering how comfortable her sister’s chair was. She peered down the agenda and said, “This meeting will now begin. First the Home Secretary regarding the new developments over the malicious rumours.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” he said, rising from his chair. “It appears after four days since its initial release, we have reason to believe that its interest among the people has begun to decline. The subject still remains popular in four pubs and taverns out of twenty-two here in the city but has not appeared to be a topic of discussion in any of the cafés.”

“And the _Ordo Malleus_?” inquired Elsa.

“They are continuing to expand but the rate by which it has grown has significantly decreased. We estimate there are no more than sixty members in their cult. They have however continued printing and distributing their pamphlets. Also there is an increase in tension between the _Ordo Malleus_ and the Facets of Snow with isolated confrontations. Mostly loud arguments but I am concerned that this situation will escalate.”

 _Of course it will_ , Elsa thought as she sighed. The Facets of Snow had always been at best a vague curiosity for her but now their belief in her divinity meant that a religious feud could very well erupt in her city. “Increase the patrols in the areas heavily frequented by both cults,” she commanded. “Should their conflicts result in disruption or violence, I would like you to arrest the participants for public disturbance and nothing more.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty. This concludes my report,” said Secretary Hovland.

“Excellent, next is the Royal Treasurer, please.”

“Your Majesty,” began Master Engelstad. “The trade ships from the Kingdom of Holstein docked in last night and in about two hours, their cargo will have been stored. Tomorrow we can expect ships from the Dutch East India Company to arrive with silk and spices. In exchange, they will leave port with one of our ice ships, _Talisi_.”

“Very good. Tell me, have our ships in the Baltic Sea experienced any trouble from the Russian Imperial Navy as Director Fossen feared?”

“No, Your Majesty, I’ve received reports from the captains assuring me all is well. In terms of agriculture, farmers are preparing for the harvesting of crops and consequently applying to rent storage space in the Royal Warehouses in anticipation of the bountiful yield.”

“Royal Warehouses?” repeated Anna.

“They’re large iceboxes that the public can use,” explained Elsa. “I believe we now have one in every district of Arendelle?”

“One in every city district and village, Your Majesty,” replied Master Engelstad. 

“I enchanted them so the ice will never melt and if people want to use them, they just have to pay to rent however much space they need. Kind of like safe deposit boxes in banks. It’s convenient for those who don’t have their own iceboxes.”

“Oh, okay,” Anna said, nodding her head. Elsa gestured for the Royal Treasurer to continue.

“Managers of the warehouses in the distant villages will be sending us our dues shortly after they have finished collection.”

“Good,” Elsa said. “Make sure these managers are well-aware that charging their customers even a skilling more than the current price will result in their immediate dismissal.”

“Certainly, Your Majesty. That is all.”

The Lord Commander spent just a minute or two reporting troop movements from both the Russian and Prussian militaries and Julia only gave a brief summary of her efforts in monitoring both Bishop Mathesien and Hans, which meant Elsa and her were due for a very long discussion later that day. Finally the Royal Director of Foreign Affairs was the last to present, who for some reason kept flickering his eyes every so often at Anna. Elsa did not know what to make of that. Maybe he didn’t exactly approve of her being present at the council meetings. Though from the interested look on her sister’s face, the Director would do well to get used to her presence.

“Your Majesty,” Director Fossen said. “While the false rumours of your sexual activities with Her Highness have spread from the kingdom of Arendelle, it would appear that they have no significant effect on our diplomatic standing. The emissaries from the kingdoms and empires I have contacted stated they do not believe in the rumours at all nor would they allow them to spoil our relationships with them, the princess of Corona being particularly emphatic in expressing her support.”

“Well, that’s nice of her,” Anna said. “And good that no one thinks badly of us over that stupid rumour.”

“Quite,” he said blandly. “Additionally, the Crown Prince Frederik of the Southern Isles expresses his regrets that his trip will be delayed for a week due to damages suffered by his ship, _Gloria_.”

“Wait…” Anna said abruptly. “Southern Isles, what do they want now?” Although her voice was harsh, Elsa knew her sister well enough to detect a slight hint of anxiety underneath the mask.

“The Crown Prince was apparently supposed to arrive next week to offer his apologies for his brother’s behaviour and try to repair relations between us,” Elsa said. “But it looks like he won’t. In any case, he won’t be staying inside the palace nor would he be staying in the kingdom a day longer than necessary. Anything else?”

They all waited as the Director rifled through his sheets of paper to withdraw a specific letter. He said, “Due to the increased tensions in Poland, many families have taken to evacuating their children to safer lands. A ship carrying a group of said evacuated children, _Soliuan_ , has sent appeals to any of the nearby kingdoms to receive them. So far none has accepted.”

“What?!” gasped Anna, her hands gripping the table. “That’s awful! How come the other kingdoms haven’t allowed them in?”

“It seems, Your Highness, that they do not wish to offend the Russian Empire by allowing refugees into their lands. It might also encourage Poland to seek more aid from them which would in turn be seen as hostile to Russia.”

“But we can do something, right, Elsa?” Her eyes shifted from the Royal Director to her sister.

But before Elsa could say anything, Director Fossen spoke up, “Your Highness, we have nowhere to shelter them or otherwise care for them. These matters often take time to prepare for. I understand your heart goes out for these children but…”

“But I can help!” Anna insisted. “I can find families or people who can take care of them for a bit while we work the rest out. I’m sure we can do that! I don’t care how much work this will take. I’ll do it!”

Elsa looked from the Royal Director to Anna and back again several times. Although she had no doubt that Anna was deeply concerned with the plight of the Polish children and would do anything she could do to help, she had a feeling her sister’s passion for this new cause had a different explanation. And it wasn’t like the Director did not have a fair argument. There was no word how many children were on board that vessel, no way to contact their families when the crisis had passed, and no idea what they were to do with a ship full of children should war break out. But there were also dozens if not more children on a ship with no clear course drifting somewhere in the Baltic Sea with a dwindling supply of food and fresh water, deprived of their own parents through no fault of their own.

“Anna,” she said firmly. “Are you certain you will be able to handle the task of finding refuge for these children and making the necessary arrangements for them?”

“Yes, I am,” her sister replied with steely determination.

“Then it’s settled. Director Fossen, send a message to _Soliuan_ and tell them the children will have a home here in Arendelle. I want them to tell us exactly how many children they have on-board and when they plan to arrive at our docks. Secretary Hovland, see to it that Her Highness receive whatever support she may require from your men and Master Engelstad, she is allowed to use the money gained by my personal contributions to Arendelle’s economy for her efforts. Is that all understood?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” they chorused.

“Thanks, Elsa!” Anna said. “I promise, this is going to turn out wonderfully!”

Elsa smiled proudly at her sister as she squeezed her hand under the table.

*             *             *

Anna waited by the library window impatiently as the last bird she sent last night flew back to her hands. She plucked the message tied to his claws and as the bird returned back to the aviary for much-needed food and rest, she unrolled the letter.

_To Her Highness, Princess Anna of Arendelle,_

_I am pleased to inform you that our business will be able to take up to three young boys, no younger than nine and no older than twelve, as apprentices. In exchange for room, board, and training for the duration of the child’s apprenticeship, we simply ask four ducats for each child be paid to us directly. Please have the amount prepared upon their arrival._

_Sincerely,_

_Master Antonsen of Antonsen Jewellers and Crafters_

Running back to her unofficial desk littered with scraps of papers and books, Anna carefully wrote the complete amount on the letter of credit and double-checked she got the name of the master right. It would suck if she made a mistake and had to write another one or they simply refused to take the children because of it. She would give him the letter of credit with the three boys, if she had them, that is. 

It was fair to say that when she first decided to do this, she had absolutely no idea what to expect. But she signed up for it regardless. She saw how everyone was looking at her yesterday, especially the Royal Director. Like they didn’t believe she could sit at their fancy table and take part in their discussions and help her sister rule, completely forgetting that the reason why she came to the meeting was so she could learn. She didn’t care that Elsa was queen but what she cared about was that she didn’t think she was useless. And while of course she knew her sister would never say that but her Council would and probably in front of her.

The first thing she did after the council meeting was over and she had lunch with her sister was ride to the two orphanages in Arendelle. Together they had enough room for about thirty children and with Anna’s, or rather Elsa’s, contributions, they would be able to feed, clothe, and teach them until they were able to return home. But then, just before dinner, she got a message from the Royal Director. There were fifty-three children, thirty boys and twenty-three girls, and they were arriving in two days’ time. She was forced to take her dinner in the library as she frantically looked up various noblemen and wealthy families in Arendelle and sent a flock of messenger birds to them, asking if they were willing to watch over the children for a brief period of time. Of the thirty or so people she contacted, less than half of them were willing to take in the remaining children. Some like Master Antonsen asked that the children be turned into apprentices while others simply demanded a monetary compensation. She agreed, forgetting that once the crisis was over, the children would want to go back home than live in a country they knew very little of.

 _But at least all fifty-three children had a place to stay_ , she thought in between pangs of sympathy for them. She couldn’t imagine what it was like for them to be so far away from home and from their parents. And whether or not they would have a home or parents to return to. From what her sister told her, this entire situation could quickly dissolve into a war. As lonely as her childhood was, she did at least have her parents and Elsa for brief and incredibly formal moments. She shook her head to get rid of those memories. They all belonged in the past and there was no point in brooding in them. What was important now was that she did all she could so these children could have a happy childhood during this awful situation. 

As soon as the ink dried on the letter, she placed it with the rest of the assorted letters and forms that she will need for tomorrow and then shoved the entire mess into a red satchel.  She’d forgotten when the last time she ate, both of her hands were sore from all the writing she had done, and she was sure she smelled like ink and old paper. But she didn’t care. Her only concern was that by tomorrow night, no one would remember her sister as the evil sorceress who beds her own sister, but as the benevolent kind queen that Anna knew she was.

*             *             *

Anna woke up at seven o’clock, by far the earliest she had ever woken up. Although, it was not like she actually slept to begin with. She only managed to get brief snatches of sleep, the rest of the night spent fretting over her big day. She didn’t know why though. The worst that could happen was all the private families that she had contacted suddenly decided to refuse to accept the children. Or the ship hit a reef or a rock near their shores and caused all the children to drown. But that didn’t seem reasonable and it certainly wasn’t doing her any good worrying over it. But worry she did.

This was also the first morning to Anna’s memory that she woke up before Elsa did. And since she wasn’t obviously going to get any more sleep, she decided to spend time admiring her sister, watching her chest softly move in and out with each breath. Although her face was smooth and beautiful as a snowy slope, there were time when it seemed like the stresses of her job had added wrinkles far too soon someone her age to have. But when she slept, those lines disappeared and the young woman would emerge, content and peaceful in her slumber. Most of the time, at least. Sometimes Elsa would have nightmares and spend the remainder of the night curled in Anna’s arms. And there was that one time when she only slept after she had placed her head over Anna’s heart. But she didn’t mind as long as Elsa got the rest that she needed.

It was not long before Elsa woke up, gently yawning as she rubbed her eyes and opened them to see her beloved sister.

“Morning, snowbug,” she greeted with a content smile.

“Morning, snowflake,” Anna said, beaming.

“Think this must be the first time you woke up before me.”

Anna shrugged the one shoulder that wasn’t on the bed. “Couldn’t sleep…”

“Worried about today?”

She nodded.

“It’s okay,” her sister said. “I’m sure it will turn out all right.” She gave a soft groan as she swung her legs over the bed and stretched out her arms. As she got up, Anna rolled to her sister’s side of the bed and stretched out her hand. With an indulgent smile and a petulant sigh, Elsa grabbed it and pulled her up.

“Though I’m sure being anxious doesn’t mean you can’t get out of bed,” she scolded as she began her usual morning preparations.

Anna simply stuck her tongue out at her sister.

Their respective morning rituals went without much trouble although Elsa had to apply her makeup and do her hair for her since her hands kept shaking from her nerves.  And then as they ate breakfast in the dining hall, they were joined by Olaf who, once told about the day’s event, asked excitedly if he could come with them. Anna didn’t see why he couldn’t and actually thought it was a good idea. God knows those kids could use a warm hug from an adorable little snowman.

After their breakfast, the Home Secretary informed them of the plans for the event. Patrol ships have sighted _Soliuan_ earlier and reported she was due to dock at eleven o’clock this morning. Which meant all of their preparations had to be made for the Royal Reception before then. Wagons had been arranged to transport the children to their destinations as well as a small lunch near the docks. The Lord Commander joined them in their discussions as they talked about security. He was very persistent in having some of his soldiers present, saying that the _Ordo Malleus_ could see this as a chance to attack them. But after some amount of debating, they reached a compromise. In exchange for not assigning his soldiers at the docks, he increased the guard around Elsa and Anna and the Home Secretary vowed to bring his men from the City Watch.

By the time all of that was done, it was ten o’clock. As they walked towards the stables, Anna checked and double-checked every letter, form, and document she had prepared in her satchel which remained over her shoulder since leaving her room. Their horses had already been prepared and waiting for them when they arrived and within minutes, the Royal Procession calmly walked out of the gates. Two guards took the lead, one of them holding a violet and teal banner with the golden Arendelle flower. Behind them was Elsa wearing a dress similar to her coronation dress except the teal colour had been replaced with a dark blue. Anna rode by her sister’s side, dressed in greens as usual, with Olaf sitting restlessly near her lap. Positioned on either flank of the sisters was another guard and a further six more trailed behind them.

After they crossed the bridge between the castle and the rest of the city, Anna saw crowds of people began to form at the sides of the road and bow before them. She waved to those they passed and felt her heart warm when some waved back. Every once in a while, she would glance at her sister and while she didn’t wave, she gave her subjects a soft smile. Cries of “Long live the queen!” and “God bless the Queen and her Princess!” came at various intervals. _So far_ , mused Anna. _It seems to be going all right._

It took a little bit longer for them to reach the specific pier since _Soliuan_ had docked further into the fjord.  As they got closer, Anna could see that _Soliuan_ wasn’t a particularly special looking ship. In fact, it looked fairly boring, which she supposed was the point. She noticed a few men still on the masts among the rolled up sails. There were three wagons waiting at the pier, each drawn by a pair of horses and each capable of holding about twenty kids in them. There were also tables and benches set up for the lunch which was to be prepared and served right at the harbour. They dismounted, with Anna taking a little more time than usual to get off as she tried desperately not to slip and fall. Knowing that Olaf was too short to see anything, she led her horse with her with Olaf standing on its saddle.

As they approached _Soliuan_ , a small parade of children began to emerge from below deck. To Anna, most of them looked healthy enough but some of them had obviously gotten seasick during the journey. Behind them came what Anna thought was the children’s guardians. They had long dark grey coats that went well past their knees. Anna would have found this rather odd given it was still August but she guessed it was rather cold out on the sea. One of them, a tall man with a dark beard and a strange hat, walked past the children who were now forming a line on the pier.

“Your Gracious Majesty,” he said, going immediately on his knees before her sister. “Thank you for opening your docks to us when no one else would. The families of these children, the children themselves, and I are eternally grateful for your hospitality. My name is Stephen Rubik.”

“Greetings, Mr Rubik,” Elsa said. “Please rise. It was no trouble at all. When we heard of your plight, we could not help but feel moved to assist you.”

As the two continued to talk, Anna knew that she should be happy. Proud even. Her work in the past two days looked it would pay off. But instead she was incredibly anxious. At first she thought it had to do with this event not being quite yet over. After all, they still needed to get the children to their homes. She half-considered asking Elsa to cancel the lunch and instead just herd all of them into the wagons. But then she noticed a few things off. Firstly there weren’t nearly as many children as she was told. She had thought that more would be coming soon but minutes passed and no one joined the two dozen or so children standing in front of their guardians. And why were they just standing? Anna was a kid once and she knew it was near impossible for her to stand perfectly still in normal circumstances.

Anna looked up and her eyes opened in terror. She then heard the sound of something whipping through the air and felt something hit her head, forcing her to the ground and filling her vision with darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops :D


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Trigger warning: There is a scene that, while doesn't actually depict it, strongly alludes and shows the aftermath of self-harm. There is also another scene that does depict thoughts of suicide.**
> 
> Thanks as always go to [hybrid-rain](http://hybrid-rain.tumblr.com/) as always for being an inspirational canyon, promoting this like mad, and helping me with this chapter, [sporadic-tiger](http://sporadic-tiger.tumblr.com/) for agreeing to be my proofreader and nitpicker, and [frickfractals](http://http://frickfractals.tumblr.com/), [the-perfect-girl-is-gone](http://the-perfect-girl-is-gone.tumblr.com/), and [fyeahkristelsanna](http://fyeahkristelsanna.tumblr.com/) for promoting and recommending my fanfics. And of course, readers for your kudos and comments. Seriously it just warms me to see you guys so receptive to my fanfic.

In mid-conversation with Mr Rubik, Elsa had a sudden feeling that something was terribly wrong and she knew that it wasn’t just the remnants of her fear talking. She looked to her left and saw a man on the deck of _Soliuan_ raise a crossbow. Then her instincts were roaring at her and she turned back to see Mr Rubik suddenly armed with a dagger that he was bringing down upon her. Gasping in surprise, she quickly grabbed his hand with her left one while her other pressed against his left shoulder and pushed both hands. Mr Rubik was much stronger than she was and with enough time and effort, he could press through the queen’s grip and plunge the dagger into her. But Elsa had no intention in giving him that time. Her powers activated, transforming Mr Rubik’s hand and shoulder into ice. As he screamed in agony, she gave him a shove, pushing him away from her. She then heard the whipping thump of a crossbow and flinched as a sheet of ice rose in a semi-circle in front of her. But he wasn’t aiming at her. And that was when she turned around to where Anna was once standing.

When people talked of anger, they often said how it burned hot, how its flames roared inside their hearts. They hardly ever mention how anger could also be cold. That was all Elsa felt saw the sight of her sister fallen on the ground. Her heart was instantly plunged into ice, her kindness morphed into cold apathy, her eyes glazed over like frost on a window, and she whirled towards Mr Rubik, still howling over his frozen hand, and his men standing behind the crowd of children who had now drawn their swords. There were a thousand things she could do to them. She could freeze the blood in their veins, bludgeon them under a storm of hail, encase them in frozen coffins, blow them away with icy winds, smother their throats with snow, transform them into statues of ice, impale them upon icicles and she would feel nothing about their fates or their pain. She was spoiled for choices and as she prepared her hands to attack, her mind spun from them all. But then her heart broke through the ice with one message. If she killed with her powers, even for a cause as pure as vengeance for her fallen sister, there was no going back from that line. Anna, dead or alive, would never accept her if she was a murderer; she would never forgive her for her sin.

So instead, after dissipating the barrier, she threw a blast of ice that trapped Mr Rubik where he stood. She then formed a small sphere of snow, threw it at the men, and caused it to explode outward so particles flew into their eyes. Not large enough to harm but enough to distract them. As they clawed at their eyes fiercely, she immediately ran towards Anna’s side, calling her name. When she reached her sister’s body, she quickly formed another barricade surrounding them both.

“Anna!” she cried, examining her body for any blood or signs of injuries. Much to her relief there weren’t any. “Anna, are you all right?!”

“Yeahh…” she heard her sister reply softly. Her voice sounded oddly muffled. “Yeah, I’m fine…”

With Anna’s safety assured, she began to note her surroundings and was shocked to see the headless body of Olaf holding her sister’s head against the ground and shielding it. His head, skewered by a crossbow quarrel some feet away, looked very uncomfortable but he still managed to ask, “Is Anna okay?”

“Yes,” Elsa replied breathlessly, nearly crying from relief. “Yes, she’s fine.”

With that response, Olaf’s body got up from Anna’s head and began walking towards his head while Elsa immediately scooped her sister into her arms and hugged her. As she tightened her hold, she could hear the sounds of battle past the icy shield and knew that she had to deal with this matter. But she needed to feel her sister’s warmth, to be assured that she was still alive before she could do anything else.

Finally after a few moments, she got up, picking Anna with her, and said, “Go back to the palace. I’ll handle this.”

Anna protested, “No, let me stay! I can help you!”

“Anna, just go. Please! It’s too dangerous here for you.”

“It’s too dangerous for you, too!” countered Anna. “I created this mess, let me help you clean it.”

“No!” Elsa said. “Anna, I’m sorry but I can’t deal with this situation if you’re here… _please_ …”

Anna’s lips quivered and although she looked like she was going to argue further, she appeared to have relented. She threw herself into Elsa’s arms for another hug. “Come back safe, Elsa,” she whispered.

“I will,” she said. “Now go!”

Anna swept her arm across her eyes, grabbed Olaf, and quickly mounted her horse. Meanwhile Elsa returned to where her guards and the City Watch officers were attempting to fight their attackers. The problem they found was that the children were driven towards them, running and wailing as her men tried to wade through them. She found the two guards assigned to Anna and commanded them to escort her back to the palace. They immediately complied. Elsa then turned her attention to the ship. Bringing her right foot up, she slammed it against the pier. Ice began to emerge from where she stomped her foot and travel to the fjord where it proceeded to surround the ship. It then thickened and rose from the water so that a small wall encompassed the ship, strong enough to hold _Soliuan_ at the dock.

Bells began to ring across the city, alerting the City Watch to the attack unfolding on the docks. One of the attackers rushed at Elsa, a sword in his hand. She swept her hand outward, causing a sheet of ice to appear between her and his assailant. When the man slipped and fell, he was immediately restrained and knocked unconscious by two City Watch officers. She turned her gaze to the rest of the battle as ice began to form into an armour around her. She might not kill them now but one way or another, she was going to make them pay for what they did to her sister.

*             *             *

As her horse tore through the streets of Arendelle, Anna’s tears now flowed freely as she thought of not all of her efforts wasted or how close she was to losing her life, but of how she _failed_ Elsa. This was supposed to be her chance to prove to Elsa and her Council and everyone else that she wasn’t just a silly princess but that she could help rule her kingdom. But now, she was going to be known for the stupid sister who let a bunch of soldiers in and attack their kingdom. No one was going to remember that she did this to help a bunch of children driven from their homes. She couldn’t even help Elsa fix her own mistakes even though she knew her sister was right as always to make her leave. She didn’t have her sword with her and she couldn’t borrow one from the City Watch officers or the guards because they needed it and because their arming swords were completely different from the rapier she was trained with. So she would have been _more_ useless and eventually get in her sister’s way. But that didn’t mean the pain stopped stinging her.

Suddenly her horse stopped and neighed furiously. “What’s wrong?” she asked, trying to comfort him as she looked around them. By now, they should have been far enough from the docks but she kept hearing sounds. Then she realised that they weren’t sounds of battle but sounds of a lot of people marching. And it wasn’t coming from the docks.

“Your Highness,” Tormond said. “We should take another way to the palace.”

Anna nodded her head to agree but as they turned their horses, she could hear the sounds more clearly. She lifted her hand to tell them to wait. She wanted to know what they were. A minute later, she wished she hadn’t.

A parade of men and women came marching past the street in front of them and luckily for Anna, they didn’t seem to notice her cowering in the intersecting street. Some of them carried huge crosses and some carried torches but they were all chanting something that she couldn’t hear properly at first. But then the words came in clear: _Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live_. Anna gazed in horror as she saw two large poles hoisted in the middle of the mob. Upon each pole was a stuffed figurine, like an oversized doll. Crude and grotesque they were, there was no mistake that they were meant to represent the Queen and Princess of Arendelle. 

She felt sick. _What did I ever do to them?_ she asked herself as she heard the mob continue to chant for her and her sister’s deaths.  She never knew the _Ordo Malleus_ , never talked to them, never said a word about them, never did a thing to them, yet here they were loudly and proudly displaying their utter hatred for her and Elsa. She knew about them but until now she just never knew how much they despised her. In front of her, Olaf simply stared at the crowd, his mouth gaped open. Then someone among the crowd held a torch up towards the Elsa figure and hooted gleefully as it began to burst into flames. Anna turned her head just in time to miss the same happen to her own likeness.

Anna felt a hand touch upon her shoulder and looked up to see Evald. “Your Highness,” he said. “We should leave now.”

She knew that was the smart thing but she didn’t feel like doing the smart thing. She felt like telling Evald to stay and kill every single person out in that mob. She felt like calling up the City Watch and commanding them to storm Bishop Mathesien’s church, capture him, and burn him at the stake. See how he liked being set on fire. Her hands shook with all the rage flowing through her.

But then a thought came to her. Perhaps it was better if she burned for her sins. Not her sins against God or whatever laws these nutters thought of, but against Elsa. After all, she read about how people would kill themselves after they failed the ones they loved and Anna failed her sister. Maybe this is what she deserved. As the last of the mob passed her vision, she wondered if she should push her horse forward so they could see her. But as she pondered over that possibility, she saw Olaf turn his head to face her and grab her hands.

“Anna,” the snowman pleaded. “We should go home. Please?”

She closed her eyes as new tears began to form. She still felt that urge to let go of her life but she could never do it in Olaf’s presence.

“Don’t worry, we’re going home,” she said more to herself than to Olaf. Then she turned her horse around and rode off, Evald and Tormond right behind her.

The path they took was much longer but necessary to avoid the religious fanatics. Consequently they arrived at the palace much later. Anna scarcely waited for the horse to stop before she leapt off and called for Kai. The portly butler soon appeared and said, “Your Highness. We heard the watch bells but we have not received any news. What’s going on? Where is Her Majesty?”

“Elsa is dealing with an attack on our docks,” she said breathlessly. “I don’t know how she’s doing there but she might need some help. Tell the Lord Commander to send some men over to her.”

“Of course, Your Highness. I’ll…”

“No, there’s more. The _Ordo Malleus_ , they’re marching, I don’t know where but we need to deal with that too. Tell the City Watch and whoever else that can deal with them. And summon some more guards here and lock the gates.”

Kai nodded grimly and said, “I will, Your Highness.” He rushed off to do as she bade.

Anna stood in the courtyard and watched as the guards pulled the gates shut and drew a heavy bar across it. As wagons of crossbows and spears were wheeled out of the armoury and soldiers armed themselves and climbed up to the wall. And she knew that none of this wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t been so eager to prove herself to Elsa. And though that desire to end herself passed for now, she still felt like something had tainted her. She felt dirty as if she was dipped into a pool of mud that stuck to her skin. She needed a bath.

*             *             *

The situation at the docks was soon resolved when a squad of City Watch officers armed with clubs and spears arrived and quickly mopped up what was left of their assailants. Official count of their attackers was eleven. Of that number, only two of them had been killed. The rest were either wounded, restrained, or both. From their side, two City Watch officers were also killed and a Royal Guard and an additional three officers were injured in the fight. Elsa watched as her men stormed _Soliuan_ and arrested both captain and crew. At this point, it was just a question of who was going to handle the interrogation and lead the investigation: Secretary Hovland or Julia.

Satisfied with the resolution, Elsa called for her horse and her guard to return back to the palace. That was when she received the next disturbing news.

“Pardon, Your Majesty,” the City Watch Captain said. “But for your safety, we would like you to accompany us to our station.”

“Why?” she asked.

“The _Ordo Malleus_ have assembled on the streets and appear to be marching onto one of the buildings operated by the Facets of Snow. Both the City Watch and the Home Guard have been mobilised to contain the situation but we have yet to hear back from them. Until it has passed, we need to keep you off the streets.”

And so she was brought to the City Watch station and though she was given the Chief’s Office for her personal use, she spent the majority of her time pacing around the office. Her thoughts were mostly occupied over her sister even after a message came from the palace to inform her that Anna had arrived and ordered the gates locked. She could only imagine what she was feeling right now. She saw how hard Anna worked to make sure her rescue would be a success and how proud she was of her efforts. And now that it was twisted into a complete catastrophe. Elsa knew her sister was now beating herself raw over it and somehow Elsa imagined it was her fault, too. She should have known this was a trap. Maybe if she didn’t spend so much time directing Julia’s efforts over imagined threats from Hans, she could have discovered this plot before today and spared her sister from watching her work turn to ash.

Hours later, she heard the door open and watched as the Chief of the City Watch entered and bowed. “Your Majesty,” he said.

“Chief Officer,” she said. “What do you have to report?”

“The situation with the _Ordo Malleus_ has been resolved. It appears the _Ordo_ was attempting to set fire a printing shop the Facets of Snow operated. The Facets quickly organised their own members and a struggle erupted. We have no reports of any deaths but there is quite a number of wounded from both sides. We arrested three members of the _Ordo_ who we believe was responsible for organising the attack. They are charged with public disruption and attempted arson. In addition to them, we are holding ten of the _Ordo_ and six people from the Facets in custody until tomorrow morning. Bishop Mathesien was not present during this event.”

“And of the events at the docks this morning?”

“The wounded on our side are currently recovering at Eir Hospital. We have good hopes for their recovering. Among the assailants, we have an array of injuries, including concussions, fractured bones, and cuts. They are being treated as well. We have also interrogated both the captain of _Soliuan_ and Mr Rubik. The captain is named Ulrich Brandeis, stationed in Greifswald. He says that he does not own _Soliuan_ and he and his crew were hired to operate her.”

“Was he hired by Mr Rubik or by someone else?” asked Elsa.

“We’re not sure yet. Captain Brandeis said that he was simply given anonymous instructions including to pick up Mr Rubik and his men at Kiel and obey his orders.”

“And Mr Rubik? What do we know about him?”

“Mr Rubik is the leader of a small band of mercenaries. What we just encountered was his entire crew. Mr Rubik said he was given clear instructions in how to stage the attack, using the children as shields and waiting to ambush. He has not yet however confessed who gave those instructions. He is suffering from frostbite on his right hand. Our physicians believe they will have to amputate it. He has been transferred to the Spymaster’s custody and will receive the surgery after she is finished with him.”

“If the surgery will be still necessary,” commented Elsa dryly. “And the children?”

“None of them were killed but some have a few injuries that were treated. The most serious was a bolt wound through the arm. The children have been taken to the orphanages where they will be sheltered and cared for until we find out where they came from. Captain Brandeis says the children were present with Mr Rubik and his men when they boarded the vessel.”

“So they’re obviously not Polish refugees.”

“No, Your Majesty. We will require some time to sort through everything and perform a proper investigation but I assure you will receive my personal report regarding this matter.”

“Thank you, Chief Officer,” said Elsa. “I appreciate your efforts in this matter. I believe I’ve burdened myself at your station for too long and you have work that requires your full attention. Are the streets safe enough to travel?”

“They are, Your Majesty, but with your permission, I would like to supplement your guard with a few men of my own. For my personal reassurance.”

Elsa nodded, not caring at all as long as she was allowed to go back to the palace and back to Anna. She ignored her discomfort on her horse as she rode at full speed through the streets, her massive escort riding in front of, behind, and at either side of her. By now the sun had almost finished setting behind the fjord. They were bathed in the dying orange light as they crossed the bridge into the palace. She nearly got her foot tangled in the stirrups in her rush to dismount but as soon as her feet touched the courtyard, she called for Kai.

“Kai, where’s my sister?” she asked without preamble when he appeared.

He replied, “Her Highness has retired, Your Majesty, and instructed no one, not even her guards, disrupt her. Normally I would have objected but she seemed rather adamant about her privacy and I thought she simply needed some rest.”

Elsa blinked as she tried to block out the worst possible outcomes for her sister. “Tha…thank you,” she said. “Make sure the palace remains secure and no one is allowed in or out of the castle until tomorrow.”

And with that, she picked up her skirt, rushed inside the palace, and darted immediately for their private sections. In her haste, she nearly tripped over Olaf sitting in the hallway.

“Oh, sorry, Olaf,” she quickly said but she stopped when she noticed the snowman looked very despondent. Fearing the worst as always, she kneeled next to him and asked, “Olaf…what’s wrong? Is Anna all right?” If none of the staff or guards knew what happened to her sister, at least he would.

“Anna?” he repeated faintly. “She’s fine, I think she said she needed a bath.”

“Okay, but what about you? Are _you_ all right?”

The snowman shrugged and admitted sadly, “I don’t know…” He was silent for a little bit before he said, “I saw them, Elsa. These people… there were so many of them and they had giant dolls of you and Anna. And they…” He paused to collect his words, his eyes dimming in terror from the memory. “They set them on _fire_. And it made them so _happy_.  They kept repeating something over and over again. Something about not letting a witch live.” He looked at Elsa with concerned eyes. “Do they mean you? Do they want you and Anna to die?”

Elsa sadly nodded. Olaf sniffed as icy tears began to form in his eyes. She pulled him into a hug and patted his back. Sometimes she forgot that Olaf, despite his occasional displays of wisdom, was still very much like a child. A child of pure innocence. And it broke her heart to see him exposed to such horribleness like the _Ordo Malleus_. Then came the question that utterly shattered it.

“ _Why?_ ” he asked. “Why do they hate you two _so_ much? Don’t they know how sweet and warm and wonderful you and Anna are? How much you love each other and how much you love me? How can they be so happy about killing you?”

“They’re scared,” Elsa said after a minute. “And they’re angry. And that makes people think and believe and do horrible, horrible things.”

“But why? What have you or Anna done to make them so scared and so angry at you? Is it because you and Anna love each other in a weird way?”

“Partly.”

“But what else could it be?”

“I don’t know, Olaf…” she said, stroking his back. “Because we exist, I guess.”

She held on to her embrace until she felt Olaf’s wooden arms wrap around her and then held on for a few minutes longer. “Olaf,” she finally said. “I need to go find Anna but I’ll be here for you. If you need…anything…”

He nodded and though he was not back to his usual bright self, he seemed a little less shocked and a little less sad.  She reluctantly let him go and went to the baths. There was no sign of her sister but there were signs that she did indeed take a bath. Her once beautiful green dress was now a heap of shreds on the floor as if she viciously yanked it off her. She must have been finished recently because the floor was still wet yet there was no mist on the mirrors and when Elsa dipped her finger into the still full tub, the water was rather cold. Elsa went to their quarters but did not find her sister there either. What she did find was the full length mirror shattered on the floor and Anna’s clothes scattered across the bed and the room.

Now extremely nervous and fearful, Elsa left their room, wondering where Anna could be, when she heard a sniffle from her old bedroom. A sniffle that could only come from her sister. She burst inside the room and saw Anna huddled in a corner, naked but still wet. Her back was towards the door but Elsa could see that she was shaking whether from the cold or her tears, she didn’t know. Ice had begun to form in her hair but Anna didn’t seem to notice or care as she continued to cry. As she approached her sister, Elsa saw that her skin was considerably red and she could only guess that she had ruthlessly scrubbed herself in the bath. She took her cape off and placed it gently around Anna’s shoulders. She then walked to kneel in front of her sister, who had buried her face in her knees and held her arms across them.

“Anna…” she whispered.

In between sobs, she could hear her sister mumble, “People got hurt today…because of…what I did. I’ve _hurt_ people, Elsa, because I failed…and now I can’t…I can’t feel clean from that…I feel so dirty…”

“Shhh,” she said, her hands perched delicately just above her sister’s. “It’s okay. Everything’s all right now. I’m right here, Anna…”

Anna took Elsa’s hands and gripped them tightly as she continued sobbing, her cries growing louder and more painful. Elsa carefully brought her sister’s hands to her face and gently pressed her lips against her knuckles. “Better?” she asked.

Anna nodded and Elsa continued to kiss her fingers and her hands. Eventually her sister relaxed her grip and brought her arms around Elsa. She pressed her tear-stricken face against Elsa’s shoulder as her cries slowly subsided into sniffles. Elsa pulled the cape tighter around her sister and, with a small wave of her hand, lifted the snow and ice from the room. She spared the snow castle though and would return to restore the winter later. But for now, her sister’s warmth mattered more to her. She stroked Anna’s back as she whispered, “You’re okay, Anna. I got you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, who thought I really was going to kill off Anna. I would say we're a little past the halfway mark through the story now. There's still a couple more obstacles and conflicts for our dear sisters to pass through. And I would say there's new problems that Anna is going to have to handle before we get to our happily ever after ending. I did hope some people would predict something wrong was going to happen given how many fluff scenes I had before this.
> 
> This chapter, I have to say, was one of the hardest to write since I had to write depressed, sad, and shocked Olaf and that's never any fun. Nor is writing depressed, low self-esteem Anna. And for those who are wondering, yes, the very last scene was sort of inspired by the shower scene in _Casino Royale_. Without the finger-sucking because the hell was that...
> 
> Thank you for the support, guys, and please, if you have any comments or criticism, tell me.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Trigger warning: There is a scene that depicts an execution scene.**
> 
> Thanks as always go to [hybrid-rain](http://hybrid-rain.tumblr.com/) as always for being an inspirational canyon, promoting this like mad, and helping me with this chapter, [sporadic-tiger](http://sporadic-tiger.tumblr.com/) for agreeing to be my proofreader and nitpicker and once again helping out with the Olaf scenes (seriously Olaf would be this quasi-intelligent sounding abominable child without her help), and [frickfractals](http://http://frickfractals.tumblr.com/), [the-perfect-girl-is-gone](http://the-perfect-girl-is-gone.tumblr.com/), and [fyeahkristelsanna](http://fyeahkristelsanna.tumblr.com/) for promoting and recommending my fanfics. And of course, readers for your kudos and comments. Seriously it just warms me to see you guys so receptive to my fanfic.

There were many reasons why it was inadvisable to work within the comforts of her bedroom. And there was only one reason why Elsa still persisted on sitting on her bed with stacks of paper on either side of her. That reason was currently slumbering in front of her, curled up in the blankets and snoring. She was pleased Anna was slowly recovering from her ordeal. A day where the most productive thing either of them did was eat Olaf’s weight in chocolate seemed to have helped. And Elsa was certain her kingdom could spare her one day to help her sister rest and repair herself.

Sadly it seemed like she only had a day. Although she wanted an entire week or even just another day to spend with Anna, she was still the queen. However she had no desire to leave Anna’s side which was why she bade Kai to bring all of her work in her chambers. Inevitably she would be asked to leave but until that moment came, she remained in bed with her sister.

The blankets rustled and Elsa looked up to see Anna slowly begin to rouse herself.

“Still here, Elsa?” she mumbled sleepily as she suppressed a yawn, her eyes still closed.

“Yup,” she replied, putting down the paper she was reading and taking off her glasses. “How did you sleep?”

“Fine, I spose,” Anna managed to say just before she opened her mouth wide to unleash a spectacular yawn.

Elsa smiled and said, “You know, you’re absolutely adorable when you yawn with your hair like that. You look like a little lion.”

“Rawr,” Anna said and immediately the two sisters giggled joyfully. Elsa leaned over to hug her but before she could actually do anything, there was a knock against her door.

“Who is it?” she called, leaning back.

“Kai, Your Majesty,” he replied through the door. “The Spymaster would like to see you in your study.”

“Very well. Tell her I’ll be with her shortly.” She looked down at herself and made a disgusted sound. “Need to change into something better,” she muttered as she got up from the bed and went into their closet. As her eyes looked for something to wear, she couldn’t help noticing her sister’s side. After she had coaxed Anna into taking a warm bath, she asked Gerda and Kai to restore her clothes and clear away the broken mirror. It was a mark of their loyalty and compassion that their only words had been words of concern for the princess. She decided on a simple blue gown and made a display of putting it on. From the bed, Anna watched her sister struggle for a minute, then sighed exasperatedly, and clambered off to help her.

“Thanks, Anna,” she said when they were finished. “This shouldn’t take long so hopefully I’ll be back soon. We can go out to the gardens today or…do whatever else you like.”

“Actually…” her sister said. “I have my fencing lesson this afternoon.”

Elsa pursed her lips in concern. While Anna have yet to bring up what she did since she returned to the palace that day and Elsa didn’t want to mention it, she felt that engaging in a sport like fencing so soon would be detrimental to her recover. On the other hand, perhaps what Anna needed was some time in the open air and doing something that she loved and she knew she was getting good at. Also Elsa wasn’t too sure how close she was to the line between concerned and overbearing nor was she certain how much of her presence would become smothering to her sister.

“Okay,” Elsa said, causing Anna to beam.

“How’s Olaf doing?” she asked, returning to the bed.

Elsa sighed as she thought about the little snowman and replied, “He’s still a little shaken by what he saw but I think he’s doing all right.” _I hope so at least…_

“Poor guy…he shouldn’t have seen that.”

“No one should have,” Elsa said. “You were right, Anna. I should have been harsher on this stupid cult before any of this could have happened.” She was about to leave when Anna called, “Elsa?”

“Yes, Anna?” she said, turning around to face her sister.

“Could you…” She slowly raised her arms and Elsa knew exactly what she wanted. Quickly walking towards her, she took her sister’s hands and kissed each one. Then she placed them over her cheeks and held them there for a while, allowing them to warm her face.

“I love you, snowbug,” she said.

Anna smiled and said, “I love you, too, snowflake.”

Elsa gave Anna’s hands another kiss and promised, “I’ll see you soon.” She gently closed the door behind her and walked briskly towards her study with her guards behind her, trying her best to ignore the tiny pangs her heart made as she moved further and further from Anna.

When she arrived, Mistress Julia was already seated in front of her desk, calmly reading through her black folder. And though her back was turned towards Elsa, she seemed to notice her as soon as she entered because she got up from her chair, turned around, and dipped into a curtsey.

“Your Majesty,” she greeted as Elsa walked towards the other side of the desk.

“Mistress Julia,” she said after she sat down. “What news do you have to report?”

Julia took her seat and slid the black folder towards her. “Inside are the reports by the Chief of City Watch concerning both the _Soliuan_ incident and the _Ordo Malleus_ agitation, signed confessions from Captain Brandeis, Mr Rubik, and one of the organisers from the _Ordo_ , receipts for letters of credit with both Captain Brandeis’s and Mr Rubik’s name, and letters found on-board the _Soliuan_.”

“What have you managed to get from Mr Rubik?” asked Elsa. “I understand he was resistant to the City Watch’s efforts to question him.”

“He was,” Julia said. “But once we had him, we were able to get him to divulge more information.”

Elsa narrowed her eyebrows at her. “I seem to remember emphasising to you when I took the crown that I did not believe torture was an effective method of extracting information and I’m more than certain I forbade its use.”

“And no torture was used, Your Majesty. We simply gave him a choice.”

“Which was?”

“See his crew hanged for the attempted assassination of the Queen of Arendelle or cooperate and be allowed to take full responsibility and punishment for the actions of his men.”

Elsa frowned but said, “I suppose that’s fair given the circumstances. So what did Mr Rubik have to say?”

“He says that he received a letter concerning a job nine days ago, the 10th of August, from an anonymous benefactor with a letter of credit for five hundred ducats. Naturally he had it exchanged to verify the account and received its full amount in gold. He told his new employer he accepted the job. Three days later, another letter of credit for another one thousand ducats and a letter detailing his exact instructions. He was to retrieve two dozen children from a specified building, bring them and his men to _Soliuan_ , and once out in sea, send the distress message he was given to us, and when he had received a response, dock upon our harbour and attack you and your sister.”

Elsa stood up and began pacing behind her desk. “So Mr Rubik was told to use the children in an elaborate ruse to attempt to assassinate me and my sister. It takes a certain type of personality to risk the lives of innocents like that.”

“That certain type of personality is rather pricey then. In addition to the money he already received, he was promised fifteen hundred ducats for either your or Princess Anna’s death and should he managed to kill you both, an extra one thousand ducats. So fifty-five hundred ducats in total.”

“Glad to hear my sister’s and my lives weren’t bought cheaply,” she said bluntly. “More importantly, what do we know about his employer?”

“Well he’s obviously wealthy. Captain Brandeis and his crew were paid four thousand ducats and he was willing to pay five thousand five hundred to Mr Rubik and his men. That’s nine thousand five hundred ducats for a single job.”

“You said that they were paid with letters of credit? That means account numbers that can be traced to accounts held in banks.”

“Yes, but identifying the banks that hold those accounts will take some time and it will take more time and some convincing to persuade them to give us that information. They’re highly valued for safeguarding the privacy of their clients. It’s doubtful even the demands of a kingdom will make them part with their code. In any case, these accounts can be held under assumed names as well. As long as the gold deposited is real, the banks would hardly care, especially if some of that gold goes into their pockets.”

Elsa rolled her hands into fists and ground her teeth in frustration. “So what _can_ we do?” she asked as frost slowly crept from her feet.

“Well, I never said we had to _ask_ for that information. My plants in most of Europe’s banking institutions were sent the account numbers yesterday and once they get them, they’ll start working to identify the accounts.”

“Speaking of your seeds and your plants, did none of them tell you of this plot? No one abroad, in the banks, anyone?”

“Tensions are high across Europe, Your Majesty, and mercenaries find themselves summoned in times like these. And they are often hired through secured bank accounts so it’s impossible to predict which mercenary group is being hired by whom to go to where. Plus, this plot, if you will forgive me, was rather simple and involved very little people. Only the captain, the mercenary leader, and their benefactor and it appears they kept communications minimal. The captain was thoroughly unaware of the mercenary plans. He believed they were hired to protect the children.”

“Very well, then” Elsa said. “Let’s move on to the _Ordo Malleus_. Start with what your seed was doing that day.”

“You would be pleased to know that this time he presented his fruit earlier. A message before the march that said during the morning sermon, the bishop announced that an attack on a printing shop owned by the Facets of Snow. The fruit came to me at which point I immediately contacted the Home Secretary and told him to rally the City Watch. Had he not sent the message, the situation could have easily escalated into a riot. Also he was among those not required to take part in the attack so he managed to get this to me from the bishop’s office.”

Julia fished out a scrap of paper and placed it on the desk. Elsa walked over to pick it up and read: _Tomorrow would be a good day for a walk_. Innocent enough but she knew exactly what this meant.

“So Bishop Mathesien knew about the attack or at least knew that something was going to happen that day. I doubt he’s the benefactor. I’ve read your report on his resources and he clearly does not have ten thousand ducats to spend on a distraction. I wonder how much of his actions have actually been his then. Have the falcons arrived yet?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. The one for the bishop is almost fully trained. We just need to make sure he recognises which birds to attack.”

“And the one for Hans?”

“Will be trained when it arrives at Weselton. That might take considerably longer. Do you suspect him as this benefactor?”

“He would make the ideal suspect, especially if he has access to the Duke’s resources. But there is also the possibility of the Southern Isles though. They might hold some grudge over the humiliation of their exiled prince and their soured reputation. Perhaps even the Duke himself.”

“The Duke of Weselton is a simpleton with lots of gold,” stated Julia bluntly. “But there are those in Holstein besides Hans who can act on his behalf.”

Elsa pondered over that possibility. Maybe she _was_ irrationally focusing on Hans. “I’ll think about it…” she said, picking up the black folder and noting just how thick it was. “Anything else?”

“There is…one other thing,” Julia interrupted. Elsa stiffened at her hesitation.

“The people, both common and noble, are beginning to question your ability to rule, Your Majesty. Between the increased activities of the _Ordo Malleus_ and the _Soliuan_ attack, they are concerned that you are able to protect them.”

“How many?” Elsa asked.

“Estimated about ten percent of the city according to my plants. Lord Gutherson in particular has been rather active in encouraging doubt among the nobles.”

“I see…” she said as the frost reappeared. She didn’t know how to react to this piece of news or what she could do. This wasn’t something that she could solve by hosting another public ice skating rink or having her covert agents spread counter-rumours. Obviously, the best course would be to find this benefactor. And if he was who she thought he was, it wouldn’t be too much of a trouble to send either Julia or her Lord Commander to Weselton, drag him from whatever hole he crawled himself into, and publicly try him for the crimes. Just there was a substantial lack of evidence and although she could wield her royal powers like a hammer, how much longer would it be before the doubts to her reign reappear and even increase? She also couldn’t imagine the King of Holstein being particularly receptive to her intruding into his kingdom after she pushed that trade deal on him and could easily drum up opposition against her from the foreign powers. No, the safe thing to do was to wait for Julia to gather the evidence needed, no matter how long it took or how much it frustrated her.

“What would you like me to do, Your Majesty?” Julia asked.

“If you haven’t done so already, begin investigating all potential suspects for this benefactor,” she commanded. “While it’s my belief that Hans is behind this, I will need proof before I can proceed. And if he’s not, then I need to know who. Do nothing to Lord Gutherson for now. He has few friends in the nobility but if I attempt to censor him, he may find more sympathetic ears. The five men in our custody, what is to be their fate?”

“Tomorrow there will be an arraignment for all five and should any of them plead not guilty, they will be publicly tried by jury and presided by the High Justice, unless you want the honour.”

“Not particularly,” Elsa said.

“Very well. If they, however, plead guilty, then you can decide their sentences now. Otherwise he will consider them for you.”

She was about to dismiss that as well when she stopped herself. She realised that she had to have a say into the sentencing. To do otherwise would to reinforce the belief she was incapable of ruling and it would be an injustice to both Anna and the two men who lost their lives in the attack.

After a minute of thinking she said, “For the captain, _persona non grata_ status. For the three _Ordo_ organisers, fine equal to the damages they caused and imprisonment in the mountains. The jury or the Council can decide the duration. And for Mr Rubik…hanged until death.” Then a thought came to her. “The crossbowman who shot at my sister, is he still in our custody?”

“Mr Pierre Gurdon? Yes, he’s due to be sent away with the rest of Mr Rubik’s crew.”

“Charge him as well.”

“But, Your Majesty, we made a deal with Mr Rubik that we would let his men go if…”

“If he cooperated and took full responsibility of his crimes. Which, if I seem to recall, was the attempted assassination of _me_.”

“Correct…” she began when her eyes glimmered with realisation. She smirked widely and mirthfully and continued, “Of course, Your Majesty. I’ll see to it that Mr Gurdon is charged with the attempted assassination of Princess Anna and that his proceedings are done separately from the others. I assume you want the death penalty for him as well.”

Elsa nodded. It was a nasty piece of politicking but one that she would defend forever. It was her sister the man shot at, after all, the love of her life, her _raison d’être_. She wanted it to be known what happened to those who tried to hurt Anna. And hopefully this would also silence those who questioned her capability to rule.

Her smirk remained on her face as she said, “Done. I’ll make sure these wishes are carried.”

“You have my thanks, Mistress Julia,” Elsa said. She was near the door when Julia called, “Oh, and Your Majesty?”

Elsa turned to her and raised her eyebrows.

“Please convey my sympathies to your sister,” she said. Her words didn’t nearly surprise Elsa as the fact that her smirk was gone from her face.

*             *             *

“Again, Your Highness.”

Anna gritted her teeth as Lord Halvert’s sword hit her for the fifteenth time this afternoon. Not only had she lost every single match since they started, but she noticed that her techniques had become sloppier, her movements less controlled, and her reflexes slower. Pretty much she was screwing up in every way possible. In fact, she was certain she had found new ways. And each time all Lord Tight Pants said was “Again, Your Highness”. As if he expected her to find some way of improving on her own. This time though she wasn’t having any of it. With a disgusted sound, she threw down her fencing sword onto the grass, the hilt quivering upon its landing. Then she tore the mask off her head and tossed it with such force that it sailed to the other side of the garden.

“What am I doing _wrong_?!” she yelled. “You know I’m making fifteen hundred bajillion damned mistakes but you’re not telling me what they are. How the hell am I supposed to learn if you’re not even going to teach me?!”

“I’ve already taught you what you need to know,” Lord Halvert simply said after he removed his own mask.

“So what?! Am I too stupid to remember them or use them?! Or am I just that horrible of a student you’ve given up on me and you’re only here is because I pay you?”

“You and I both know you are an excellent fencing student and I’m certainly not here because I’m paid to.”

“Then _what?!_ What, what is it?”

Lord Halvert tucked his sword under his shoulder and walked towards her. “Everything you know is here,” he said, placing his index and middle fingers on her temple. “But you have to know it here as well.” His finger slide down to over her chest. “Once it’s in there and you’ve accepted it, then you will truly know.”

“I don’t get it,” Anna said, a touch less angry than she was before.

“I saw what happened to that training dummy, Your Highness. Your emotions give you strength and power. Fear, anger, love, they all do. Now, I want you to focus and control them so you can use them more effectively.”

“Okay…” She had no idea where he was going with this. “How?”

“Start with telling me what you were thinking when you were with the training dummy.”

Anna dipped her head down and said, “I…imagined that the dummy was _him_.” Hopefully he knew who she meant. “And I was the only one who protect my sister from him.” She expected she sounded mad at this point but Lord Halvert seemed to understand.

“And today, what have you been thinking, Your Highness?” he asked.

“About…what I did,” she said.

“And what did you do?”

“I _failed_. I tried to help my sister because, you know, there were those awful rumours about her and I thought if I helped these children and found them homes until that whole crisis was over, it would look good for her. And it would show her Council and the people that I wasn’t just a useless princess. But instead it was all just a trick and now all people are ever going to think is how I let a bunch of people in to attack us.”

“So do you think you failed Arendelle or failed Her Majesty?”

The answer came to her as automatically as breathing. “Elsa.”

“How? How did you fail your sister?”

“I failed her when I let those men into our harbour and almost got us killed. I failed her when she had to stay and clean up my mess while all I could do was run back to the palace. I failed her when I tried to make her look better but instead made everything worse. I failed her when I tried to show her that I can help her rule Arendelle but instead only showed her just how pathetic and useless I really am!” She collapsed onto her knees and screwed her eyes shut to keep the tears from appearing. But in the end, the tears still leaked past her eyelids and she said, “I just can’t do anything right, can I? I’m just a stupid little girl who never learns.”

She heard him kneel down in front of her. “Your Highness, you must understand that we all stumble,” he said. “We all have our failures. You, me, even your sister. But we must not do is let those failures define us.”

“But that’s what people are going to do!” she protested. “That’s _all_ they’re going to remember from now on.”

“People will think what they like to think. You know there are people who think your sister is a witch. There are others who think she’s a goddess. Some think she is pretty; some think she is hideous. You shouldn’t care what they think. The people who will matter are the only ones you let matter to you.”

Anna pondered on what he had said…after she got over the shock that someone thought Elsa was ugly. “But you don’t understand…no offence, Lord Halvert,” she quickly amended, realising that blowing up at her fencing instructor hadn’t exactly been the smartest thing to do. “I’m a princess. There are things that people expect of me. And I don’t want to be just someone who’s there in case something happens to Elsa or be a brood mare sent somewhere as part of a deal.”

“And I know that, Your Highness. I cannot imagine the burdens placed upon you since you were born. But there has been expectations placed on me as well. Expectations I couldn’t meet.”

“Like what?” she asked, instantly regretting her words after they came out. She had a feeling she was pretty close to prying into his private affairs.

“Like ensuring the family name lives on. I was the only son and my parents were disappointed I couldn’t give them a grandchild. That probably aggravated them more than the fact that I had a partner.”

“You mean like a fencing partner?” she said although she knew very well what he meant.

“He is that, yes. And then some.”                                                       

“And he’s someone you let matter in your life?”

“Yes. There are people who think…interesting things about me because of who I love but I’ve learned to let no one’s opinions except his have any impact on my life.”

“And this will help me in fencing…how?” asked Anna, wondering how this conversation went from her mistakes to Lord Halvert’s personal life.

“We’ll come to that. Firstly whose opinions matter the most to you?”

“Elsa’s,” she replied instantly.

“And has Her Majesty ever told you that she thought you failed her or she thought you were useless or stupid?”

“No…but she wouldn’t exactly _say_ that.”

“Would she do something like that? Keep something from you because she thought it would hurt you?”

Anna had to think about the answer to that. It was true that Elsa kept her powers a secret from her and distanced herself from Anna during their childhoods. She knew why she had to do that but at the same time, if either she or their parents had just told her why she couldn’t see Elsa, she wouldn’t have grown up thinking her sister thought she was boring or useless or whatever else she had thought when she was a girl. And now…Elsa said she would never close the gates between them again. And Anna really, _really_ wanted to believe her. But could she?

She took a deep breath and said, “No.” Her voice sounded hesitant at first but then it strengthened. “No, she wouldn’t. Not anymore.”

“Then remember that, Your Highness. Remember that no matter how many people think you have nothing to offer, no matter what hundreds of people think, the one person who matters the most to you still believes in you.”

She closed her eyes and tried to think of Elsa, putting every ounce of attention her mind possessed into focusing on her sister and her love, her faith, and her devotion in her. A task she found difficult as thoughts of the _Ordo Malleus_ , of _Soliuan_ , and of the Council as well as memories of her failures floated around, trying their best to pry her focus. She squeezed her hands into fists so hard that her nails had almost pierced through the gloves. She was so lost in thought that she hadn’t noticed Lord Halvert had left and gone to retrieve the mask she had discarded. She opened her eyes when she felt confident in the reins she held over her thoughts and emotions.

“Do you feel better?” asked her fencing instructor.

Anna nodded with more certainty than she thought she had. Lord Halvert extended his hand by which she used to lift herself up.

"Today, when we first started, your mind was already clouded by your doubts and the thoughts of your failures. And each time you lost, those doubts increased and strengthened, did they not?”

Anna nodded again.

“Do you know why?”

“Because I kept losing,” she said. “And every time I lost, I just became reminded of my failures.”

“So you understand. Good. Now, we’re going to try one more bout. And this time I want you to focus on Her Majesty. Focus on the thought that even if the entire world thinks ill of you, she still believes in you.”

She took a few minutes to gather that focus. Last time she did something like this, she thought of _him_ and how she would protect Elsa from him. Now, she thought of how proud Elsa would be of her sister as her own valiant defender. She thought of them ruling and defending the kingdom, side-by-side, never apart. She then wrenched the fencing sword out from the ground and accepted her mask when Lord Halvert offered it to her.

“I’m ready,” she declared, placing the mask on.

The two entered into guard position and waited. Then her fencing instructor moved first, inching closer to her. Anna instinctively retreated back and thus began their dance for the sixteenth time. Beads of sweat dripped down her face under the mask as she tried to keep control over her thoughts. They were as well-behaved as a frenzied stampede, kicking and wailing and screaming. Over and over they reminded her that she was always going to fail no matter what she did. And each time, she cracked a mental whip to cow them into silence. But once her focus became fairly stable, she noticed that her movements became swifter and more precise. There was a sense of purpose in them as opposed to simply reacting to Lord Halvert’s movements.

After what seemed like hours to her, she finally noticed an opening in her instructor’s defences that she immediately exploited, quickly batting his sword aside and lunging forward before he had a chance to recover. Lord Halvert looked down to see the point of Anna’s sword against his chest and lowered his sword.

“Well done, Your Highness,” he said, removing his mask, and he would have continued had Anna not dropped her sword and given him a bone-crushing hug.

“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you so much for helping me.” She released him and then placed her hand over the right side of her mask. “And umm…sorry for yelling at you like that,” she added sheepishly.

“It’s okay, Your Highness. I understand you’re going through a lot and it will be some time before you truly conquer your doubts. But I want you to know that I firmly believe in you. You have improved so much since we first started these lessons and I could not be any prouder of you. You are by far the best student I’ve had the privilege of teaching.”

For once, Anna was glad she was wearing the stupid fencing mask.

*             *             *

Anna was normally a very heavy sleeper but these haven’t been exactly normal times for her. For the fourth night in five days, she found herself stuck somewhere between sleep and wakefulness when she felt her sister disentangle herself from her body.

“Elsa?” she whispered.

It was very apparent her sister had not expected her to be still somewhat conscious. She just froze where she was, halfway out of bed.

“You’re going to the execution, aren’t you?” Anna continued, rolling over to face her. It was less of a question and more of a statement.

Elsa’s head nodded and asked, “How did you know?”

“Papa,” she replied. Even in the dark, she could tell her sister’s face had contorted in confusion. “He said that a queen must see the people she sentence to death in their last moments and when we execute someone, we do it at the break of dawn so their souls can rise with the sun. And so they can face their death with dignity and not be gawked at like some carnival animal.” She paused for a minute and asked, “Can I go with you?”

To her surprise, Elsa did not refuse her or insist that she went back to sleep but instead she asked, “Why?”

Anna sat on the bed and thought about it, trying to figure a way to explain what she felt in words. “I don’t know how to say it…” she finally said. “But I feel like I need to.”

“Anna,” Elsa said, walking around the bed to sit next to her. “You know it wasn’t your fault. There was no way you could have known those men would be there, that they would attack us like that.”

“I know that,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about it with Lord Halvert and I know it’s not my fault those guys used the children to attack us. But I only know that here.” She placed the tips of her index and middle finger against her temple. “I need to know it here.” She moved her fingers over her heart. “Otherwise, I don’t think I’ll be able to move on.”

Elsa took her hand and patted it a couple times. “Okay,” she said. “Let’s get dressed.”

Both Anna and Elsa were dressed in grey, placed minimal makeup, and did their hair in simple buns. Neither of them were entirely sure what the appropriate attire was for something like this. Anna couldn’t remember the last time they had to execute someone. Probably before her parents thought she was of age to know these things. Or maybe they just kept it from her like a few other things she could mention. They were silent as they walked across the red carpet. Just as they arrived at the doors flanked by two guards, Elsa stopped and took Anna’s hand.

“If, at any moment, you feel uncomfortable,” she said. “Tell me and we can leave.”

Anna nodded but she hoped that she wouldn’t have to. The guards opened the doors for them and they walked into the balcony that overlooked the courtyard below them. Two chairs had already been prepared for them and Anna wondered if her sister knew that she wanted to come or if she had a chair for her just in case. As they sat down, Anna peered over the edge and saw the gallows already prepared to claim its victims, illuminated by the pale morning light, with the High Justice and his executioners standing on top of it. She also saw that there were more soldiers present along the walls and around the courtyard and the gates had been closed. Whether the additional security was only there for the execution or here to stay, she had no idea.

“You may proceed,” Elsa called, her voice scrubbed clean of any emotion.

Anna heard a door open somewhere below them and footsteps drawing closer. And then she saw him, the man who led the attack against them, who tricked her in front of the entire kingdom, who made her feel like the greatest failure of Arendelle. For a man who did so much damage to her, he looked fairly ordinary from a distance. There was no way she could tell he was a mercenary leader. He was escorted by yet another pair of guards towards the gallows. She was a little surprised by how calm he was as he was led to his death.

When he reached the gallows and stood behind the noose, the High Justice said, “Stephen Rubik, you are sentenced to death for the attempted assassination of Her Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, and the unprovoked assault on Arendelle in a time of peace. Do you have any last words?”

“I’m ready,” he simply said. A black hood was brought over his head, then the noose was fitted over his neck. Anna took Elsa’s hand and squeezed it as she watched the executioner pull the lever. She flinched, she winced, her free hand went over her mouth, and she was certain she gasped. But her eyes never strayed as Mr Rubik’s body descended down the trapdoor with a sudden crack. Her breathing quickened significantly and she had to force herself to take calmer slower breaths. She then began to rise from her chair but she stopped when she noticed that Elsa remained seated. _Were there more?_ she thought as she sat back down. She wondered if they were going to execute everyone who attacked them.

Once more the door opened to allow another prisoner to be led towards the gallows. This one was younger than Mr Rubik and he did have a certain charm that almost reminded her of _him_. He too seemed more or less at peace with the fact that he was going to his death. Meanwhile the noose was reeled back up and adjusted to accept its new victim.

Once again the High Justice announced, “Pierre Gurdon, you are sentenced to death for the attempted assassination of Her Highness, Princess Anna of Arendelle. Do you have any last words?”

Anna suddenly felt very cold and she had to release her sister’s hand because holding it had become like holding a handful of snow. “Elsa,” she asked, turning towards her. “What’s wrong?”

Her sister did not reply but instead just stared down at the proceedings below. But Anna could see the frost covering her chair and the ice spreading from her feet and forming into icicles on the ground. What’s more the ice had taken on a yellowish colour.

“Tell her I’m sorry,” said Mr Gurdon from the gallows. “I’m so sorry.” The black hood, then the noose was placed over his head and he too plunged to his demise. However Anna was too occupied with her thoughts to notice as she remembered the crimes the two men were sentenced for. The first one, Mr Rubik, was charged with the attempted assassination of Elsa while the second guy was charged with the attempted assassination of _her_. But why were they charged with different crimes? And then when she saw that Elsa had risen from her chair and was looking at her expectantly, she wondered why two and only two people had been executed.

“Anna, are you okay?” Elsa asked when she didn’t respond.

“In our room,” Anna replied sharply.

Her sister nodded and they walked back to their bedroom. Once inside, Anna demanded, “What is going on, Elsa? Why was the second guy only charged with trying to kill me and not you as well? And why was Mr Rubik charged with trying to kill only you? And why did we only execute two of them?”

“Mr Rubik made a deal with us,” Elsa replied coldly, looking away from her. It seemed she had not discarded her queenly mask yet. “He would answer our questions in exchange for allowing him to take full responsibility for the actions of his men.”

“Okay, that’s very noble of him for a mercenary leader, I suppose. So why did you have the other guy executed then? Did you lie to him?”

“No, we did not.”

“Then what?” she asked, wishing her sister would stop saying “we” and “us”. “What did you… oh!” The realisation couldn’t have hit her harder if Sven had drove it into her. “You wanted to punish them both. That’s why you separated the charges. So Rubik could talk to you but you could still punish Gordon or whatever his name was. He was the one who shot at me, wasn’t he?”

“Yes, he was.” Then she turned her head to look at Anna and suddenly she wished she hadn’t. Her features were hard as if they were carved into her face. And her eyes, they looked cold and lifeless like they were actually made of ice. She had seen Elsa frustrated, annoyed, sullen, and irritated before, but she had never seen her truly angry. Not like this. Anna felt weak and her knees threatened to collapse under her stare.

“Why…?” she asked. “You didn’t have to do that…”

“But I did, Anna,” her sister said in what sounded like a stern voice but Anna knew better. “The man tried to _kill_ you. The man was part of a crew who knowingly lied to you, to us, so they could have a better chance at killing you. The man took a crossbow, aimed at you, and pulled the trigger. If Olaf hadn’t intervened, you would have _died_. Could you imagine what that would have done to me?”

She shook her head as she tried not to imagine her sister without her.

“Anna,” Elsa continued, the ice in her voice slowly cracking. “Do you know how close I came to losing control? I was this _close_.” She held her finger and thumb only a centimetre apart. “When I saw you on the ground and I thought you’d been shot, I was about to kill them all. In horrific painful ways and I wouldn’t have cared at all. But do you know what stopped me?”

Again Anna shook her head.

“It was you. The thought of you. I knew that you would never forgive me if I killed someone with my own powers, with my own hands.”

“But you still did…you still killed the guy who shot me,” Anna weakly protested, well-aware that those were two different circumstances.

“So I did. When the sun fully rises this morning and the people wake up from their sleep, they will know what happens if they ever dare attack you, Anna.” She would have sounded much more convincing if her voice hadn’t shaken every so often. She turned her gaze away from her and looked out the window. Anna heard Elsa sigh deeply before she said, “Please understand, Anna. I was so scared I had lost you again. I love you more than anything in this world and if I lost you, I…I wouldn’t know what to do. I’m not sorry that I took these actions but I _am_ sorry if I scared you.”

And the thing was Anna understood her sister. Hadn’t she derived most of her strength from her desire to protect Elsa, from the burning love she held for her? Wasn’t Freddie proof of what she would do for her? She tried to imagine if Elsa saw what her sister did to the training dummy and wondered if she would feel as shocked and maybe scared as she did now. A part of her pointed out that she simply hacked an inanimate object made of leather and padding while Elsa sent a real human being to the gallows. But if Freddie was made of flesh and bone and skin and he had killed or was going to kill Elsa, would she have been any different?

Anna sat on the bed, looked down at the floor, and finally said, “I think I understand, Elsa. I’m just not sure. I think I need some time to think it through.”

“Okay, Anna,” her sister said. Anna could hear her take a few steps towards her but stopped as if she thought better of it. She then turned and walked out of the room, leaving the door open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there was going to be another scene where Anna's comforting the family of one of the City Watch officers who died in the attack but this chapter was already long as it was and the purpose was already kinda fulfilled with her scene with her fencing instructor. And yes, I'm sorry this chapter was so long but I felt that this chapter definitely needed to deal with Anna recovering from the events of the previous chapter and to do otherwise would be a huge disrespect to her. I really hope you guys don't mind! The plot will continue on in the next chapter.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always go to [hybrid-rain](http://hybrid-rain.tumblr.com/) as always for being an inspirational canyon and helping me come up with ideas and promoting this like mad, [sporadic-tiger](http://sporadic-tiger.tumblr.com/) for agreeing to be my proofreader and nitpicker, and [frickfractals](http://frickfractals.tumblr.com/), [the-perfect-girl-is-gone](http://the-perfect-girl-is-gone.tumblr.com/), [izzyvonheeringen, ](http://http://izzyvonheeringen.tumblr.com/)[winterqueenelsaa](http://winterqueenelsaa.tumblr.com/), [patronustrip ](http://patronustrip.tumblr.com/), [r9khaileyissuffering](http://r9khaileyissuffering.tumblr.com/), and [fyeahkristelsanna](http://fyeahkristelsanna.tumblr.com/) for promoting and recommending my fanfics. And of course, readers for your kudos and comments. Seriously it just warms me to see you guys so receptive to my fanfic.

Dinner with the Duke of Weselton was typically a boring affair. When they were not entertaining other guests or invited into the homes of others, it was simply the two of them sitting at opposite ends of the table piled high with food. The majority of it was spent listening to the Duke rave on and on and on about whatever was vexing him that day, usually the trade agreements with Arendelle. Recently, every so often, he dropped a not very subtle comment about the money he was spending. Hans learned a long time ago it was often best to let the man ramble on and try to enjoy the rich food provided. Tonight, after almost an hour complaining how unfair it was that his little duchy had to shoulder most of the financial costs for the umpteenth time, the Duke made a change of topic.

“Speaking of Arendelle,” he said, tearing off a piece of bread and dipping it in his stew. “There are some interesting news coming from that little kingdom.”

“Is that right?” Hans said blandly as he sliced a portion of his roast pork and chewed on it.

“Well firstly it seems the Snow Queen is screwing the princess. Her own sister, can you believe that? Then there was this nasty piece of business where she was tricked into allowing a bunch of mercenaries into her own kingdom. Nearly lost her life from what I’ve heard. She had a couple of them executed but now I’m hearing that civil unrest may erupt anytime soon.”

“Interesting…” he said after he had swallowed his food. He began cutting himself another piece.

“Did you have a hand in this, hmmm?” he asked, peering at him through his spectacles.

_Well, no use denying it_ , he thought. “It’s amazing what a few letters in the right hands can do, isn’t it?” Hans remarked.

“Yes, and about sixty thousand ducats. Plus a substantial donation to the _Ordo Malleus_. I suppose we’re not going to be seeing _Soliuan_ again anytime soon.”

“No, my lord, I’m afraid not. It’s in the hands of the Snow Queen.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to reclaim it when all this is over,” he said, dolling more stew into his bowl. “Although I suppose I should be grateful I only had to pay fifty thousand for her.”

“And while we’re on the subject of Arendelle, it seems like I’ll be leaving your lovely home quite soon.”

“You will?!” the Duke exclaimed. “How…very tragic… I take it that you are getting close to finishing your plans.”

“Yes,” Hans said, ignoring the utter insincerity in the Duke’s voice.

“Wouldn’t your presence potentially jeopardise your plans?” the Duke asked, placing his bowl aside and shovelling some vegetables onto his plate. “After all, you didn’t want either of us to be directly involved.”

“Yes, I did debate whether or not it would be better if I continued my plans from here but in the end, I thought that they’re too delicate to leave to chance. Anything can happen especially when magic is involved. I’ve had my plans foiled by the Snow Queen once. I will not allow them to be foiled a second time.”

“Hmm and in the meantime, what should I do?”

“Continue supplying me with money, of course. You have had all the letters of credit delivered, correct?”

He protested, “Yes, nearly a hundred thousand ducats in total. This is where I remind you that I’m not a money tree, Hans. I’ve depleted two of my accounts with the Hanseatic Bank and almost finished a third. Where do you propose I get more money?”

“Try borrowing it,” Hans said, placing his knife and fork down. “You’ll be able to pay the Swiss or the Italian banks back or whoever you choose when my plans succeed. I’ll even pay the interest myself.” Whatever it took for the little man to go along with the plans. At first the Duke narrowed his eyes suspiciously at him but eventually he seemed placated.

“Very well, then,” he said, spearing a Brussels sprout with his fork. “I do have another condition as well.”

“Which is?” asked Hans, taking up his silverware to finish the potatoes on his plate.

“I want Fritz and Klaus to accompany you on your journey. They will be my representatives in your voyage and will be the ones who will authorise any further use of my money. How long do you expect this stage of your plans to last?”

“It depends but I can’t foresee this dragging out any longer than a couple months.” At least, Hans hoped it didn’t. He arranged for the mercenaries and the crew for the ships to be paid for six weeks of work. If he was still stuck at this phase when winter fell, he might as well as give up. He doubted the men would continue to work against the Snow Queen at the height of her power, no matter how much he offered them. “If what you say about the kingdom is true, then the stage has already been set. When my forces arrive at Arendelle, we will make it absolutely clear that we want only the royal sisters. We’ll make a few demonstrations to help them arrive at the right decision.”

“And after?”

“When the Snow Queen and her useless sister are either in my custody or dead, Bishop Mathesien will crown me as King. Then you will receive your returns from their coffers, the bishop will go to Rome to secure my crown, and I will consolidate my power at Arendelle before presenting myself before my father.”

“And what of her allies? Corona? DunBroch? Berk?”

“The Polish situation will occupy Corona for quite some time. DunBroch is too worried about English aggression to concern themselves with affairs so far away. And Berk is…well…Berk.”

The Duke wiped the remnants of his stew from his lips with his napkin and said, “Well, I admit, Hans. This could work.”

“I’m touched by your faith, my lord,” Hans replied. He was still debating whether or not he should hold his end of the bargain or reward the Duke with a dagger in the back. Before he had to deal with him, he never understood why villains in the stories always insisted on killing the people they worked with after they no longer needed them. All that did was spread mistrust in the villain and decrease the likelihood he would find willing partners and able workers. But Arendelle was to be his kingdom when the plot was accomplished and he was not going to let _his_ kingdom be exploited by the Duke. Even if what he heard about Arendelle’s economy was true, there was no way he would be able to pay the Duke what he promised him and still have a somewhat prosperous kingdom to rule. He would have to consider that on the voyage to Arendelle.      

“When will you be leaving?” the Duke asked, pushing his plate away from him.

“Tomorrow at noon. A schooner will take me, and I suppose your bodyguards, to rendezvous with _Tilbel_. You needn’t worry.” He quickly added as he could see the Duke building another fit. “I didn’t buy the ship. Just simply paid the captain to take me where I need to go.”

“Well, thank goodness,” the Duke said, relaxing his grip on his knife. Hans had a feeling he hadn’t noticed that he was holding it like he was about to stab someone. “Well, Fritz and Klaus aren’t going to be happy about the short notice.”

Hans just shrugged.

“You said you’re meeting your ships at sea?”

“Just _Tilbel_. She should have left three days ago, the rest five days ago. The weather permitting, we should meet at a point some two hundred miles from Arendelle by the day after. Once we meet, it’ll be another two or three days before we arrive. By then the rest of the fleet would have begun their work.” He got up from his chair and said, “Now, if you will excuse me, my lord, I have some final preparations to make before my voyage tomorrow.”

“Absolutely, Hans,” the Duke said, getting up as well. He picked up his glass of wine and held it up “Shall we drink a toast to your good fortune?”

“Certainly.” Hans picked up his glass and raised it up.

“To the future king of Arendelle,” declared the Duke, before draining what remained in his glass. Hans followed suit.

If either of them cared to glance outside, they would have noticed a falcon perched on the rooftops nearby, closely watching the Duke’s residence.

*             *             *

Anna opened her eyes in a sudden panic, her breaths coming in rapid shallow huffs, her heart pounding against her chest, and her nightgown stuck to her skin with her own sweat. When she calmed herself down through the exercises Lord Halvert taught her, she rolled to her side to face Elsa…when she found nothing next to her.

“Elsa?” she whispered. She couldn’t make out the time on the clock but it couldn’t have been earlier than three in the morning. She was certain her sister went to sleep with her. She remembered wishing her good night before falling asleep with her back towards her. But it was also possible that Elsa had gone and done some work in her study. Sitting up, Anna looked around and saw her sister was actually still in the room, curled up on the window seat. Her arms were crossed over her stomach as she stared out to the night sky. Anna didn’t know what she was thinking about but it must have occupied her mind since she made no reaction to her call. She looked at her sister more closely and saw that although she held her arms tight, they were still shaking. She must have had nightmares of her own.

“Elsa?” Anna tried again, a little louder. This time she heard her and she turned her head away from the window and towards her.

“You, too, Anna?” she said.

Anna nodded from the bed. “Do you want to…talk about it?” she asked.

A quick raid of the kitchen and several spent matches later, the two sisters found themselves sipping hot cocoa in front of the fire and exchanging furtive glances at each other. This was the closest, both figuratively and literally, either of them have been with each other since the executions. They’ve only seen each other at dinner and conversations during that had been stiff and formal. Almost like when they were children. So after several minutes of awkward silence, Anna decided to speak.

“So umm…I dreamt that…” she said just as Elsa said, “I dreamed that I…”

They both fell silent. Ever the loyal little sister, Anna waited but Elsa gestured for her to go first.

“Well,” she said. “I dreamt I couldn’t find you. After you ran away from the coronation ball that night. I searched everywhere. From the North Mountain and down. I dreamt that I took a ship and sailed to the ends of the world and I still couldn’t find you. That I had lost you. Forever.” Her hands were shaking over the hot cocoa and some of it spilled over the side. “It was just…having that hope I might find you crushed over and over and over again. That maybe if I searched over here, I could find you only to be disappointed. Like I failed.”

She took another sip of her drink and played with her hair as she waited for her sister to tell her story.

After a sigh, Elsa said, “In my nightmare, I was lost in a maze. And everywhere around me, I saw frozen statues of you. They were all different but you were always in agony in them. I could see it in your face and I wanted to help you but I didn’t know how. Every time I tried to touch or melt a statue, another would appear. And another and another. No matter what I did, I just made it worse.” Anna noticed that the mug had completely froze over but her sister didn’t seem to. Elsa tucked her arms over her stomach again and squeezed herself.

They both turned to each other and said together, “I don’t want to lose you.”

“Not after we’ve gotten so close,” Anna said.

Elsa said, “Not after we’ve been through so much.”

They placed their mugs down on the floor and hugged each other.

“I’m sorry, Elsa,” Anna whispered into her ear. “I’ve been so rude and so ungrateful to you. I know you were trying to protect me and I know you did what you did because you love me.”

“No, I’m the one who should be sorry, Anna,” Elsa said softly. “I should have told you what I was planning to do and see if it was all right with you before I went with it. You must have been scared and I didn’t think about that.” Anna felt her give her back a few pats before they pulled away from each other.

“Well, I’m sorrier,” she said with a tentative smile. Her smile grew in relief as her sister rolled her eyes and gave her a shoulder a soft shove.

“You are such a brat,” Elsa scolded though Anna saw that she tried to hide her own grin with her mug. She only smiled wider as her sister tried to tip the lump of frozen cocoa into her mouth. With a scoff of irritation, Elsa waved her hand over it and although her drink had been restored to liquid, it still remained quite cold.

As her sister poured her cocoa back into the pot to reheat it, Anna said, “You know…I would do the same for you.”

“Do what?” asked Elsa, absentmindedly stirring the pot.

She swallowed and mustered her confidence before she continued, “I would…kill someone for you.”

Elsa looked up from the fire and said, “Anna...”

“I’m not saying I would enjoy it,” she quickly said. “And I’m not looking forward to the moment when I have to do it…but if that moment does come and it’s your life on the line…I _will_.” Her fingers tightened over her mug. “I mean it.”

“Oh, Anna…” Elsa said, pulling her into another hug. “I know you do, snowbug. I know.”

As she squeezed her sister back, she said, “I love you, sis. More than anything in this world.”

“Me, too,” Elsa whispered. And then she suddenly began to giggle. Stranger still, she giggled openly, without trying to cover her mouth. Normally she was too graceful and elegant for that but now? She might as well be rolling across the floor with laughter. Anna pulled back to stare at her.

“What?” she asked, feeling a bit self-conscious. “What’s so funny?”

“Just…look at us,” she said when she managed to stop for a breath. “Confessing our love by saying how we’ll kill for each other. What a romantic pair we make.”

Anna then began to laugh and said, “Well, who says that can’t be romantic?”

Elsa twisted her lips into a smirk, much like one she would make as a child whenever Anna suggested they played well past their bedtime when everyone thought they were sleeping or egged her into using her powers for pranks or tempted her into doing some childish mischief. It was a smirk that said Elsa knew better but she didn’t care as long it made her little sister happy. And then Anna became very aware just how close Elsa’s lips were. How soft they look and how their colour glowed in the firelight. All she had to was just push her face a few inches closer and she would finally taste their sweetness. …At the cost of actively breaking Elsa’s trust in her and the very possible risk of losing her love. After all, she wouldn’t want to be with someone who pushed a kiss against her will.

Anna began to notice that Elsa was looking at her and not just with the loving adoration she displayed earlier. Had she been staring at her lips that long? She quickly mumbled an apology and turned her gaze towards the fire. If Elsa noticed anything odd, she didn’t mention it as she shifted herself closer to Anna. Their hands slowly crawled towards each other until Anna’s hand was on top of Elsa’s.

“I wonder what Mama and Papa would say if they saw us now…” Anna said, lazily leaning against her sister’s shoulder, their fingers entwined. “Whether they would approve of our relationship?”

“I wondered about that, too,” confessed Elsa. “I don’t think Mama would mind. She’ll want us to be happy. And maybe Papa, too. He’ll probably say it’s us making up for lost time. And then some.”

Anna wasn’t as certain as her sister. She didn’t have any doubts that Mama would be pleased that they were happy with each other. In fact, she thought that she would have felt a lot better knowing that they were together and hadn’t married someone they didn’t love. But, on the other hand, no matter how much she loved him, she doubted Papa would be as welcoming as Elsa thought. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “He did keep us apart for thirteen years. Just because he was scared you would freeze me again.”

“We _all_ were, Anna. We didn’t know what would happen. And it hurt him, too. Both him and Mama. When they had to keep us apart. But they had to protect you.”

Anna felt Elsa squeeze her hand tighter and turned her head towards at her. “They meant well,” Elsa said. “It might not have been the best thing they could have done but we’re both here, alive, well, together, and very much in love with each other. And that’s what matters. We’re both here now.”

“I spose,” she admitted. “I still wish they told me earlier. It would have saved us a lot of trouble.”

“You and me both.”

They shared a smile before Anna said, “So…making up for lost time?

“Thirteen years of it, yeah,” Elsa said.

“Well, I can think of a few things that we can do…” Anna said before she quickly stopped herself, realising what she said and how she said it. For crying out loud, they haven’t even _kissed_ and here she was, making sexual suggestions. _If Elsa was uncomfortable with kissing, sex would be…yeesh_ , she thought. Especially since she only recently got over being touched by her. She hoped she hadn’t ruined the moment with her reckless mouth or somehow offended her sister.

But to her relief, Elsa just smiled and said, “We’ll think about it, okay? Just give me some time.”

Anna was about to nod when suddenly Elsa leaned and gave her a swift kiss on the cheek. Her lips were cool and soft like a gentle winter breeze against her face. She could feel her blood warming her cheeks as her hand instinctively drifted over where her lips touched.

She tried to talk and although her words got tangled in her throat, she managed to stammer, “Wha-what was that for?”

“Making up for lost time,” she said, smirking. “Plus I saw you staring at my lips and thought you wanted a kiss somewhere besides on your hands.”

Anna tried to smile back as her cheeks continued to redden from both the kiss and the embarrassment. And then she blurted out again, “Can I kiss you back?”

Still smirking, Elsa turned her head so that her cheek was facing her sister. Anna leaned forward nervously, wondering if Elsa would suddenly flinch or pull away. But although she could hear Elsa beginning to breathe faster as she approached, she kept her head in place just as Anna pressed her lips against the cool white skin. She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out and taste her sister’s skin as her lips lingered for a few seconds longer before she moved her head away. She was pleased to see a pink tingle glow in Elsa’s cheek where she kissed her.

“Thank you, Elsa,” she said. “That felt really…nice.”

Elsa blushed more as she said, “It felt nice for me, too.” Anna could tell. There was a joy in her face that she hadn’t seen for quite some time now. Her eyes shone in the firelight so brightly they seemed like stars in the night. Anna was about to ask if they could try kissing lips now but she decided against it. She didn’t want Elsa to feel rushed or anxious about this relationship and honestly, after her last relationship, she liked a slower pace for a change.  

Suddenly Anna opened her mouth to let out a glorious long yawn and when she was done, her eyelids began to feel like weights. She didn’t even want to know what time it was now.

“Sleepy?” teased Elsa.

“Mmmmm,” Anna said instead of a response. Then she mumbled, “Too lazy to get up. Carry me, snowflake.”

“Too bad,” her sister retorted. “I’m too lazy to get up, let alone carry you to our bed.”

And despite the fact that they were both leaning against the bed, they decided that they were going to sleep on the floor. Though Anna honestly couldn’t complain, she found herself drifting off to the best sleep she had for days.

*             *             *

As it happened, the two sisters were not the only ones plagued with nightmares. A couple hours later, Olaf stumbled into their bedroom, feeling very scared. While the snowman didn’t really need to sleep like his mommies did, he still liked to stand still somewhere and close his eyes for a few hours or so. Enough for his little mind to rest from all the excitement in his day. And so he could dream. He always loved his dreams of love, beauty, joy, and fun. But lately his dreams hadn’t been so nice. They became dark and miserable and horrifying. This particular night, he had dreamed that both of his mothers had been taken away and he couldn’t find them. He had woken up with a sudden scream and immediately darted towards their bedroom.

He hoped to find them peacefully sleeping on the bed like they would be but to his terror, the bed was empty.

“Anna? Elsa?” he called. He felt his twig arms shake as he walked into the room. They had to be here because...because…he felt them here. He didn’t know how to explain but he knew where exactly Anna or Elsa were. He also knew when they would be in danger, which saved Anna’s life. But he didn’t know how he knew all this. He just _did_. And if his mothers actually were taken, he would have known it and tried to stop the bad people from taking them. He would never let anything happen to them. Not if he could stop it.

Hoping to still find them here, he first looked under the bed but found only a couple of books that were too small to hide either mommy. But then he looked around the bed, he quietly cooed to himself at the sight. There was Elsa and Anna, soundly sleeping and leaning against each other in front of the fireplace. Anna’s head was resting on top of Elsa’s shoulder. Olaf didn’t know why they were sleeping on the floor but that didn’t matter to him. They looked so beautiful and adorable like that. The sight of them safe and sleeping against each other threw away all the worries he got from his nightmare.

But they must have been cold, Anna at least. He climbed on top of their bed and grabbed the fluffiest and warmest blanket he could find. He then dragged it off the bed and draped it over the sisters, gently tucking it over their shoulders. When he was done, he wrapped an arm over each sister and gently squeezed. Then he waddled out of the room but before he left, he whispered, “Sleep tight, Mommies.”

*             *             *

Kristoff finished packing the last rucksack of food onto his sled and turned around to face his adoptive family. Far away in the back stood Grand Pabbie and in front, on top of a few of her closest relatives was Bulda, gazing at him with wide concerned eyes. He placed his arms around her and squeezed.

“Thanks for letting me stay, Móðir” he said.

“It’s no problem!” she said. “You know how much I love it when you’re home. Gives me an excuse to try cooking human food!” She chuckled to herself and Kristoff smiled at her. Her expression then sobered as she said, “I wish you could stay longer.”

“Me, too, Bulda. But I have to make sure I still have a job. I don’t think the Queen takes kindly to people taking extended holidays without telling her.”

“Don’t see why you still try to mingle with the humans,” grunted Uncle Burt. Although Kristoff was sure he was actually Bulda’s cousin’s brother’s nephew or something like that, he just called him “Uncle” for convenience’s sake. “Great big waste of time and effort, if you ask me.”

“Burt!” rebuked Bulda as her and most of the family turned to glare him. “You know Kristoff can’t live like us.” She turned back to Kristoff and said in what she probably thought was a whisper, “Pay him no mind, dear. He’s still upset you’re not marrying his daughter. And about his kidney stone.”

“I don’t blame you at all!” piped one of the littler trolls, a nephew of his. “She has this nasty wart _right_ here!” He tapped his nose gleefully. His cheek earned him a swift scuff over the head from his mother that was too late to stop a ring of high-pitched, barely stifled giggles.

Kristoff chuckled with them and said, “Thanks, you guys. For everything, really.” Then his eyes widened in shock as nearly a dozen of them jumped on top of him for a hug. He was able to hold his balance for a second before he began tipping backwards with an “Oh, no”. He could hear Sven laughing in his own peculiar manner at the sight of all the trolls piling on top of him. He gave up pretending to protest and allowed them all to give him one last hug. Or in the case of the children, three or four or five last hugs. Finally he got into a squatting position and wrapped Bulda and Cliff in his arms.

“Take care of yourself, okay?” Bulda said, patting his shoulder. “Your adventures last month nearly gave us an early petrification.”

“I will, Móðir **,** ” Kristoff vowed.

“Nah, you won’t; your reindeer will,” Cliff corrected. He raised his voice louder and said, “Hey, Sven! Take care of your human, will ya? We both know you’re better at doing that than he is, right?” Kristoff pressed his face against his palm and groaned. He got up, walked towards his reindeer who still had his mouth open in mirth and his sled, and climbed on. He waved at the trolls and called, “Bye, guys!” He got a long chorus of “Bye, Kristoff, bye Sven” in various levels of pitch as Sven walked away from the Valley, dragging the sled away at a steady pace.

Despite what he told Anna nearly a month ago, he hadn’t spent _all_ of his time with his family. In fact, he only arrived at the Valley of the Living Rock last week. The rest he spent working. One thing he learned was nothing cleared his head like good honest work. And even though his position as the Official Ice Master and Deliverer meant he wasn’t expected to harvest ice, he still enjoyed going out and working on the ice. Feeling the axe and the saw and the hooks in his hands gave them something to do. And it was difficult to think about Anna and being spurned when his mind was filled with things like tonnes of ice demanded by which villages and the estimated fair price of ice and the quickest routes to his destinations.

He wasn’t a love expert by any means and when he thought about it, there was much about love his family didn’t know either. At least when it came to people. Trolls typically fell in love with one partner and one partner only and for the longest time, he thought humans were the same. Even though he later knew different, it was hard to remember that when Anna told him that she didn’t feel she loved him. He had honestly thought she had been the one or maybe he only thought that because she was the first woman she knew on a close level. Kristoff would only be lying to himself if he said he took the confession well. At first he was very upset that after everything they had been through, Anna didn’t have the feelings that he thought she did.

But the more he thought about it, the more he realised how wrong his attitude was. First of all, he should have known that even if they both went on an incredibly dangerous adventure, Anna did not _have_ to love him back. Secondly, if he truly loved Anna like he thought he did, wouldn’t he place her happiness above his own indignation? After all, he did bring her back to that prick of a prince when he thought she needed an act of true love to save her. He should be able to let her go to purse her heart’s desire. And thirdly, and most importantly, Anna did not say she didn’t want to be his friend. And Kristoff would much rather keep their friendship than risk it to try to gain her love.

Of course it was one thing to realise that. It was another to come back home and having to explain to the rest of his family who apparently had been planning their wedding why there wasn’t going to be a wedding. Most of the family were surprised that Anna had turned him down and quite a few of them questioned her intelligence, whom Kristoff was quick to correct. Some like Uncle Burt suggested that he forget about trying to love human girls. The children were devastated to hurt that the nice lady and her cute snowman wouldn’t be returning. But the opinions he sought the most were from his adopted parents. And while they were of course sad to hear that he and Anna couldn’t work out, they also suggested that he allow Anna pursue her heart and be there as her friend for her. Bulda especially reminded him that Anna wasn’t, by any means, the only girl in Arendelle and he would find one who cared for him as much as he did for her.

“It’s not like my choices are just Anna or Burt’s daughter, right, Sven?” he asked out loud. And while normally his reindeer would bray in laughter or give him a look for making fun of the troll maiden, this time he just stopped. Then he began sniffing the air around them.

“What is it, boy?” he asked, looking around the forest suspiciously. It was too light for wolves to come prowling about but Sven didn’t get this nervous for no reason. After a minute of sniffing the air, the reindeer turned his head north. Furrowing his eyebrows, Kristoff released Sven from the sled and jumped on top of him, allowing him to lead to whatever was troubling him. When they got clear of the trees, Kristoff found himself at a perch on the mountains low enough to see the fjord below with some detail. He could see the line of villages that stretched along the slopes from the city. And then he looked further up and saw them.

Four ships were sailing from the horizon with white sails and flying unfamiliar flags. Kristoff squinted and noticed that two of them had reinforced bows and hulls, perfect for breaking through ice. The other larger two were of a class that he didn’t know but he saw the ballistae on their decks and knew they weren’t here for diplomatic or trade reasons. One of those ships apparently dropped anchor because it began to roll up its sails and smaller rowboats were being cast off from the side. The rest of the fleet continued its way towards the city.

“Sven, we have to go,” he said. “Now!”

His words were, as usual, utterly pointless. His reindeer knew how important it was to get down the mountain as quickly as possible. With a loud bray, he began racing down the mountain at the fastest pace he could safely keep. Kristoff knew better than to rush him. Far better to be a little slower than risk Sven tripping over himself and breaking his legs. Even still, his heart was beating furiously against his chest as he hoped that either he reached them before the ships arrived or someone else raised the alarm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realise this might be a little confusing but basically what Hans did was send the majority of his forces ahead of him. The chapter ends about two days after it began. 
> 
> Well, here comes the great siege. Have fun, folks!
> 
> Once again, I welcome any and all feedback you might have to offer.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One thing before the credits: You might notice I retconned Hans' last name to more or less suit what has been recently announced by the writers. Also, thanks to [emirael](http://emirael.tumblr.com//), I've done a little editing on the location in the previous chapter.
> 
> Thanks as always go to [hybrid-rain](http://hybrid-rain.tumblr.com/) as always for being an inspirational canyon and helping me come up with ideas and promoting this like mad, [sporadic-tiger](http://sporadic-tiger.tumblr.com/) for agreeing to be my proofreader and nitpicker, and [frickfractals](http://frickfractals.tumblr.com/), [the-perfect-girl-is-gone](http://the-perfect-girl-is-gone.tumblr.com/), [izzyvonheeringen](http://http://izzyvonheeringen.tumblr.com/), [winterqueenelsaa](http://winterqueenelsaa.tumblr.com/), [patronustrip](http://patronustrip.tumblr.com/), [r9khaileyissuffering](http://r9khaileyissuffering.tumblr.com/), [50shadesofelsanna](http://50shadesofelsanna.tumblr.com/), and [fyeahkristelsanna](http://fyeahkristelsanna.tumblr.com/) for promoting and recommending my fanfics. One thing that is truly amazing is how quickly the aforementioned list is growing. And of course, readers for your kudos and comments. Seriously I know this isn't one of the biggest Elsanna fanfics out there so it means so much that you dig that extra foot of ground to find this one and try to shed some light on it. Thanks! :)

Kristoff could tell Sven was slowly getting worn out by the time they descended down the mountain but he still persisted. The last time they rushed into Arendelle like this, the city had snowed in, which meant most of its people were in their homes and the snow had formed convenient paths for them to run across. This time, it was a bright August day and the streets would be filled with oblivious citizens and, unless Kristoff wanted to pay for property damage, he would be forced to stick to those streets. He wasn’t even in the city itself before he was stopped by two guards at the gates. While the gates were still opened, the two guards immediately stood under them, blocking his way inside.

“State your name and business, please,” asked one of them.

Resisting the urge to snark at him, Kristoff said, “Kristoff Bjorgman, the Queen’s Official Ice Deliverer and Master.” He wasn’t too fond of using that title but he hoped it would make things go faster. “I’ve urgent news to deliver to her. I believe this kingdom is under attack.”

At first he thought they weren’t going to believe him and he would be delayed by obstructive guards but after the two exchanged a look, they stepped back to let him through. He nodded his thanks towards them as Sven slowly began to gather speed. People instinctively moved away as the reindeer stormed through the roads but there were a few who didn’t seem to hear the clatter of his hooves and only heard Kristoff’s frantic cries for them to clear the streets. If he wasn’t so distracted with trying to navigate through the streets, he would have noticed that Arendelle had a completely different atmosphere now. But he was too busy hoping Sven didn’t accidentally run into someone to see that the streets weren’t as crowded as they ought to be and the people were much too jumpy than usual. Miraculously they managed to reach the bridge without causing any harm or damage. Kristoff was surprised to see that the gates had been closed and that more guards were in the gatehouse and on the walls.

Again, one of them called, “Name and business, please!”

Wondering what he had missed in the past few weeks, he replied once more, “Kristoff Bjorgman, the Queen’s Ice Deliverer and Master. I’ve urgent news to bring to her.”

“And what news would that be?” the guard asked.

“That this kingdom may be under attack.”

 _That_ got their attention and immediately the gates were pulled open. As he entered, he saw a small party of soldiers walking towards him, presumably to give him his red carpet entrance.

“Mr Bjorgman,” the soldier who led the group said, stopping a respectful distance away from him. “I’m Captain Anglen. I’ll be escorting you to the queen.”

Kristoff got off Sven and said, “Very well.” He then turned to his reindeer. “Stay here, buddy,” he said to him, stroking his neck. “I’ll be back soon. Hopefully.”

Sven gave a short bray and stamped his hooves on the ground irritably. A couple guards began to approach him with their spears lowered, which aggravated both Sven and Kristoff who stayed his ground, his hands curling into fists. Despite the fact that he was unarmed, he was more than willing to fight, urgent message be damned. But before this could escalate any further, Captain Anglen barked an order and the two guards pointed their spears upward and stood back.

“Apologies for that, Mr Bjorgman,” he said. “But I would ask you to calm your reindeer before we can continue. I’ll explain when we’re inside the palace.”

Kristoff was still a bit annoyed but rather confused as well as he turned to Sven and said, “Listen, buddy. I don’t know what’s going on but I need you to stay here and behave. For now. If they do anything though, go ahead and attack them, all right?”

The reindeer looked rebellious for a minute but eventually he dipped his head. “Good boy,” Kristoff reassured him as he gave him a few pats on his head. “Good boy.”

He turned back to the captain who was looking at him expectantly and said, “He’ll be fine. Just don’t try to threaten him again. Do you understand?” His eyes narrowed at the last sentence. Not that he didn’t know he was just doing his job but Sven was almost attacked for nothing and he wasn’t going to take that laying down.

The captain, to his credit, nodded and commanded, “Let the reindeer be.” He lowered his voice and said, “Now, may we continue? Enough time has been wasted and we have precious little of it if what you say is true.”

Kristoff nodded in agreement and they began walking into the palace. He looked around the courtyard and before they walked inside, he counted no less than twenty-one guards posted on the castle walls and around the courtyard. Raiden-attje knew how many he missed. He had never seen this much security in the castle before. This combined with just how swiftly the guards believed the news of a possible invasion meant that something had been going on in Arendelle that he had missed.

“Captain Anglen,” Kristoff asked as they ascended the stairs that took them from the public areas of the palace to the more private regions. “What has been going on here?”

“You haven’t heard?” he asked in response. “There was an attempt on the Queen and the Princess almost a week ago. A band of mercenaries tricked their way into our docks and attacked them.”

“Anna?” he immediately cried. “Is…is she all right?”

“Her Highness is fine. But there’s also the _Ordo Malleus_.”

“The what?” he asked. But before the captain could explain who or what they were, Anna and _her_ pair of guards suddenly nearly ran into them as they came at an intersection in the hallways. There was an awkward moment with both parties of guards grasped the hilts of their swords before they realised their mistake.

“Kristoff!” Anna cried, ignoring the guards and rushing over to hug him. Kristoff was briefly confused but he soon reciprocated. When she pulled away, she continued, “What’s going on? Why do you have those guards? Are you in trouble?”

“No, no, no,” he immediately said. “I just have something extremely important to tell your sister.”

“Well, that’s funny,” she said. “Kai told me that Elsa had something important to tell me. We can go there together.” She turned to the captain who looked rather confused by the intimacy she shared with Kristoff. “Captain Anglen, thank you for taking the trouble of escorting my friend here but I believe I can take it from here. If you don’t mind, could you resume your duties?”

Considering that Anna just tell the captain to “piss off” in the most polite fashion he had ever heard, Kristoff watched for Captain Anglen’s reaction but all he did was bow and said, “Of course, Your Highness.” And with that, he and his men departed, leaving Kristoff with Anna and her guards to walk off in the opposite direction.

“So what’s been going on, Anna?” he asked. “Captain Anglen told me that you were _attacked_.”

“Yeah, we were!” she said. “Some guys sent us a letter saying they had a bunch of children who needed a safe place to stay but when we let them in, it turned out it was just a trick to get us.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I mean, I had a few problems after that but they were mostly mental stuff. Physically I’m fine. And mentally now I spose.”

Kristoff examined her closely as if he could see the scars of her mental problems on her face. He could normally tell when people were trying to hide true emotions but either she was really, really, _really_ good at it or she was actually doing better. A passing though had him wonder whom she went to for help with those problems.

“And this Order something. Who are they?”

“Oh, the _Ordo Malleus_. They started out as this group of loonies who thought Elsa was a witch and had to die but they’ve been getting stronger and stronger.”

“Were they the ones who attacked you guys?”

Anna tilted her head from one shoulder to the other and said, “Noo…but Elsa thinks they knew something was going to happen that day. But she has to wait for her spymaster to get proof otherwise she can’t do anything about them.”

“Wait, Elsa has a spymaster?”

“Oh yeah, it’s this mysterious blonde woman. She spends so much time with her.”

Kristoff could be wrong but he thought he detected a slight hint of jealousy in her voice. But he chose to ignore as he said, ‘Akka, I missed so much. I shouldn’t have just walked out on you like that.”

Anna stopped and took Kristoff’s arm. “Hey, it’s okay,” she said. “I know what I said to you that day had to hurt and you needed some time to think about it. But right now, my sister is waiting for us. We can talk about this later, okay?”

He nodded and patted her arms a few times. “Okay,” he said. It was then he noticed a thin sword strapped to a green sash across her waist. _Things must have been scary if she’s taken to carrying a sword_ , he thought as they continued their path towards wherever Elsa was. It was only a few more minutes before they reached a door painted beautifully with snowflakes and flowers and flanked by four guards. They had been idly chattering until they heard them approach at which point they quickly stood to attention.

“Your Highness,” they chorused.

“Good afternoon,” she greeted. “I think my sister told me to come.”

“Of course, Your Highness,” one of them said. “And who is your friend here?”

Kristoff began to feel very self-conscious as Anna had to introduce him. He wondered why hardly anyone here remembered who he was but then he remembered he hardly spent any time with them. His two weeks here had mostly been spent with Anna or in his new job. No wonder they all kept stopping him and asking who he was.

The guard seemed satisfied with Anna’s introduction because he then turned to the door, knocked a few times, and called, “Apologies for the interruption, Your Majesty, but Her Highness and Kristoff Bjorgman are waiting for you.”

There was a slight delay before he heard Elsa reply, “Let them in please.”

The guard opened the door for them and in they walked into Elsa’s study. Besides the queen herself, there was a woman seated in one of the chairs in front of her desk, a woman Kristoff could only guess was her spymaster. They were both busy in discussion when the door opened but Elsa looked up from whatever she was reading and said, “Anna, there you are. And Kristoff, what a surprise to see you.” The spymaster turned her head to give him a brief glance before turning back to face the queen.

“Your Majesty,” he greeted, bowing slightly from the waist. He knew that Anna and Elsa were probably exchanging looks and tilting their heads at him but he figured he would at least show some courtesy with the spymaster present. “I’m sorry to disturb you but Arendelle may be under attack.”

Anna gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. The spymaster whirled around from her seat to face him properly. Elsa’s eyes widened a fair bit and she blinked a few times before she said, “Attack? Now?”

“Yes. Not twenty minutes ago, I saw four ships sailing from the north. Two of them had ballistae on their decks and I think the other two were icebreakers. I can’t imagine they’re here for a chat.”

“Who else knows?” demanded Elsa.

“The guards at both the city and castle gates. I had to tell them so they could let me pass.”

“Understandable. Hopefully they’ve relayed the message and the…”

Suddenly the door burst open and in stormed a man with grey hair and a hook shaped nose. He had a longsword strapped to his belt that was held tightly with his left hand. With a raspy voice, he said, “Your Majesty, I apologise for the sudden intrusion, but the guards are reporting that someone has said there is another attack on Arendelle.”

“Yes, indeed, Lord Commander,” Elsa replied, her voice far too calm to be natural. “This is the man who first saw them. And curiously, _not_ our patrol ships.”

It was clear the Lord Commander had an answer to that but Elsa cut him off. “We’ll discuss that later. For now, Kristoff, could you please tell him what you just told me?”

Kristoff repeated what he had saw and then answered the Lord Commander’s questions as he asked for more details about the ships. What colour were the ships, what flags were they waving, how many sails they had. When he was done with the interrogation, he turned to Elsa and asked, “Your Majesty, what are your orders?”

Elsa took a few minutes to think, aware that everyone including Kristoff was looking at her. He saw her take a noticeable breath before she said, “Bring everyone inside the city walls. I want you to send out riders to escort the villagers to the city and bring food from the villages with them. Julia, send birds to Corona, DunBroch, Berk and whatever allies we have and alert them to the situation. Have them escorted with our hawks. Inform the Harbourmaster I want the fjord cleared of all vessels. Do we have any naval vessels out at sea?”

“As I wanted to explain, Your Majesty, Director Fossen had our patrol ships out to meet with the Prussian diplomatic vessel. Our frigate _,_ _Lucreitia,_ however is still docked.”

Elsa’s face twisted in rage for a brief minute before she said, “Very well then. Tell the Royal Treasurer to establish martial rationing immediately. Oh, and tell the Home Secretary to begin distributing winter clothes for the people. I want everyone in my council room for an emergency meeting in three hours. That should give you enough time to carry out your orders, yes?”

“More than enough, Your Majesty,” reassured the Lord Commander. “It will be done.” He bowed sharply and quickly departed, followed by the blonde woman.

Elsa curled her left hand into a fist as ice began to form around it as she breathed deeply in and out. Kristoff didn’t know what to do and instinctively shuffled away closer to the door in case she wanted him out as well.

Anna hesitantly asked, “Elsa, if it’s okay to ask…what did you want to talk to me about?”

Elsa looked up from her hand and said, “Oh well…” She waved her hand at the general direction of the piece of paper Kristoff saw her reading before they had entered. “One of Julia’s seeds reported that Hans has left Weselton two days ago.”

Anna’s eyes widened as her hand instinctively drifted to her sword and gripped the hilt. “ _Him_! But…Weselton is at least five days from here… There’s no way he could be here already…”

Elsa immediately went to her sister and wrapped her arms around her, whispering what Kristoff was sure were words of comfort. He was starting to feel like the fifth wheel of a carriage but just as he slowly walked backwards to the door, there was a sudden knock against it, followed by the muffled call of the guard.

“Your Majesty,” he said. “The Harbourmaster has reported that the dock will be cleared shortly.”

“Excellent,” Elsa said. She took a few deep breathes before continuing, “Anna, Kristoff, you might want to see this.”

And without seeing if they had followed her or not, she left the room. Anna and Kristoff exchanged a quick glance before they followed her out along with the guards who had lingered outside the study. As they moved, Kristoff began to note just how deftly the two sisters managed to run in skirts. Even when they reached the stairs, Elsa seemed to effortlessly run down the stairs. Anna only had a few stumbles but she managed to regain her balance without any help or slowing down the group.

When they got to the courtyard, Kristoff found it a blurry of activity. Orders were shouted and hollered as men grabbed crossbows and halberds from wagons. A few soldiers were strapping on cuirasses but either they didn’t have many or most of them didn’t bother with them because the majority of the men out there wore only their thick olive green coats with probably mail underneath. Outside the castle walls, he could hear the solemn tolling of the bells, alerting the citizens to the impeding danger. Birds were flying in all different directions, flocks of smaller messenger crossbills and jays guarded closely by eagles, kites, and hawks. He quickly found Sven, who was trying to stay out of the chaos as much as possible. Their eyes met and then Sven tilted his head to his left. Kristoff followed with his eyes and saw that Elsa and Anna were already halfway to the southern walls to the left. With a thanks that got lost in all the shouting, he quickly joined them.

When they crossed to the other side of the wall, they emerged onto an outcrop that led into the harbour. Elsa walked to as close to the water as she could and when she stopped, she lifted her right foot and slammed it against the water. Ice sprouted from where her shoe landed but didn’t spread outward. Instead the ice darted across the water until it reached a point somewhere between the twin lighthouses. From there a pillar spiralled upward and as it rose, it also expanded so that an ice wall was blocking entrance into the harbour and continued to reinforce the existing walls. From where she stood, Elsa directed the movement of the ice with gestures of her hands and was now allowing the ice to spread about a yard further into the harbour. But not to form another wall. In fact if Kristoff was right, and he usually was about ice, he would say that ice formed behind the wall was considerably thin. _Of course!_ he thought triumphantly. So if the invaders managed to scale the wall and get to the other side, they would just fall into the harbour. He would only be lying to himself if he didn’t want to see what Elsa had done to the western side of the ice wall.

When it was all done, the first thing Kristoff noticed was the temperature dropped considerably. It didn’t seem like another eternal winter would be settling on Arendelle anytime soon but the air felt more like that of the fading months of autumn than summer. Then he noticed that Elsa looked a bit tired, probably from using her powers. Anna had rushed towards her and stood about a foot away, her arms not quite touching her but close enough that she could grab her sister. But the queen soon recovered from the exhaustion with no incident.

“All right, all right,” he heard her whisper to herself. She took a few steps away from the water with her left hand held out in front of her as if she was trying to calm a temperamental beast and her right reached out towards Anna. The princess instantly took her sister’s hand and began stroking it with her thumb. In a fashion that Kristoff wasn’t quite sure sisters would do. Then again the only sisters he knew besides them were trolls and they did things a bit differently. Still the last he heard from Anna about her sister was that she still flinched a foot away whenever someone got too close in her personal space. But perhaps that changed along with everything else.

Whatever the queen was hoping for seemed to come true. A noticeable look of relief washed over her face as she looked around the harbour as if to finally appreciate her work.

“Come on,” she said, taking in one last view. “Time for that emergency meeting.”

“Wait,” Kristoff said. “Am I going with you?”

“Well, yes, of course,” she replied. “You have to tell them what you saw.”

He just groaned.

*             *             *

More than an hour after her sister raised the ice wall, Anna sat next to Elsa, trying her best not to fidget in the uncomfortable chair. Elsa never shut up about how annoying her chair was in the council room and she was starting to see why. Whoever made her chair should be put in the stocks…if they still had them, that is. But her discomfort wasn’t anything compared to what Kristoff must have been feeling as he stood in front of the most powerful people in Arendelle. Anna tried smiling at him to help him relax but she had a feeling it didn’t work as he told the Council what he had seen. Anna thought it just wasn’t fair to him to make him go through this again. He already told Julia and the Lord Commander, the two people who actually needed to know about this, before this meeting.

And she was pretty sure some of Elsa’s Council members didn’t like Kristoff. Besides Julia and the Lord Commander, they were looking at him suspiciously as if they weren’t sure if they should believe what he was saying. The Treasurer guy in particular glared at him like he was a common thief or swindler. When he finished, Kristoff shuffled awkwardly in his place, his hands behind his back. He looked straight in front of him but Anna noticed that he was trying his best to not actually make eye contact with anyone.

“Your Majesty,” said the Royal Treasurer. “When I undertook preparations for rationing as you requested, I was under the impression that your fears were based on more than his testimony.”

 _Wait, what?_ Anna thought. “Excuse me, Master Treasurer,” she said with as much courtesy and politeness as she could shove into her words. “But are you trying to say that you don’t believe that there are invaders at our door because Kristoff saw them?”

The Royal Treasurer blinked a few times before he said, “I just merely wish to have more proof before we take such drastic measures.”

At that, Kristoff looked like he would like to do nothing more than thump him and Anna began balling her fists under the table. “What _else_ do you need?!” she argued, discarding all those fancy words. “Do you need them to show up in front of our gates, waving human skulls and swords and chanting ‘Death to Arendelle’, to believe we are being attacked?”

The Royal Treasurer prepared to argue back but Elsa interjected, “Enough. Master Engelstad, what Kristoff had to say have already been confirmed by our scouts. They report four ships, two icebreakers and two galleasses, have entered our waters and nearly two hundred fifty men have landed on our shores.” Then she turned to focus her glare at the Council member. “And for future reference, Kristoff here helped save my sister’s life, my life, and most of the lives in Arendelle. If you are unwilling to change your perception of either him or his race, then I suggest you consider making an effort to at least conceal it, lest you find yourself without a job or title.”

She turned to Kristoff and Anna noticed that her sister’s face had significantly softened. “Kristoff,” she said. “Thank you for alerting us to this threat. Had you not immediately gone to us, we would have been taken completely by surprise. Once again, you have helped save Arendelle. If you wish to remain here for the duration of the meeting or if you would like to leave, you may do so.”

Anna figured Elsa gave him a choice to be polite because she thought it was fairly obvious what he wanted to do. Kristoff cleared his throat and said, “Thank you, Your Majesty. If it pleases you, I would like to secure my reindeer.” His voice sounded awkward and Anna felt like he was having trouble getting the words out as if he was.

“You may do that, Kristoff,” Elsa replied. “And remember that you may stay with us as an honoured guest, if you have nowhere else to go.”

Kristoff bowed and recited, “Your Majesty, Your Highness, Councillors.”

He walked away from the room, the steps echoing in the silence. Anna felt conflicted as she sat in her chair. She wanted to get up and walk out with Kristoff, tell them that it didn’t matter what the stupid Treasurer guy or anyone else thought about him, that of course she and Elsa believed him when he first came to them, and that she would always be there for him. But she knew that she had to stay where she was. Her place was at Elsa’s side and to leave would not only look poorly on both her and Elsa, but it would allow the doubts in her capabilities and Elsa’s ability to rule to fester and grow. And she would never do anything that would made Elsa look weak. Not in a thousand years. So tormented and soaked in guilt as she was, she remained where she sat.

Apparently her mental decisions had taken her some time because the topic had shifted without her notice.

“…while we were able to evacuate most of the villages, it seems that Belik had been taken by the invaders. One of the scouts who was sent there returned with an arrow in his shoulder.”

“What do we know about these men?” Elsa asked at the same time Anna asked, “Do we know what they want?”

“The descriptions of their flags given to me by my men have suggested that the men holding Belik is a mercenary company named the Wild Band of Men. In German, at least. As to their goals, we cannot say. So far they have made no attempts to spread from Belik nor have they appeared to have moved additional men into the kingdom. If I were to guess, they’re consolidating their hold before they make another move.”

“Wouldn’t the obvious thing to do is, I don’t know, stop them from actually making that move?” the Home Secretary said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. But Anna knew why they hadn’t even if he didn’t.

“We would, if only they weren’t holding a village hostage,” the Lord Commander responded before turning to Elsa. “Forgive me, Your Majesty, but the reason we have not attacked back because I thought you would not want us to endanger your subjects.”

"Thank you for your consideration,” Elsa said. “In summary, what do we have to defend ourselves against this invasion? I reviewed your report on our armed capabilities but given that was nearly a month ago, there must be some updates.”

“We have enough halberds, swords, and crossbows for eight hundred soldiers but I’m afraid we do not have that many men. Even if we issue a conscription, we would have only four hundred fifty soldiers.”

“And if we also allow women to join?” Anna asked.

The Lord Commander blinked a few times before he did the math in his head. “Six hundred. Maybe more. But, Your Highness…”

“There are two hundred fifty men already in our kingdom,” she interrupted. “Who knows how many more will be coming. We need more soldiers if we hope to win. And why should we deny the women a chance to fight for their kingdom? To defend their families and homes? Let’s not forget who gave our last enemy a parting present.” She glanced to her left and saw a slight smirk emerge in Elsa’s face. She turned back to the Lord Commander, wondering if he was going to dispute her on this.

To his credit, he did not. “Very well, Your Highness,” he said. “There will be a few things that I must talk to you and Your Majesty later but I’ll see it done.”

“Thank you, Lord Commander,” Elsa said. She turned to the Foreign Affairs Director and asked, “Could you kindly please tell us why you assigned our ships _away_ from their duties?” Anna felt a certain satisfaction as everyone glared venomously at him.

The old man sputtered for a few seconds and said, “Your Majesty, I thought it was prudent to not offend the Prussian emperor by refusing our protection for his envoy.”

“No, you decided to leave our borders unguarded.” Elsa didn’t exactly raise her voice but Anna thought it would have been better if she did. She wasn’t even the target of her rage and she could feel each word pierce her like darts. She glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw that ice began traveling from Elsa’s chair and around the council room, blooming into icicles. “You placed my kingdom at risk and today that risk became a certainty. If it was not for Kristoff, it could have very well been too late for us to prepare for an invasion. When this ordeal is over, I assure you will be suitably punished for your stupidity.”

The director apparently wanted to say something more but Elsa abruptly cut him off. “Not another word. Master Engelstad, if you will kindly tell us about how we plan to endure this war.”

“Three of the seven emergency shops have been opened and fully stocked,” the Royal Treasurer said. Whatever prejudice he had earlier was gone from his voice but Anna suspected he still held them. “The rest will be stocked tomorrow. Ration cards will also begin being distributed among the citizens tomorrow, and thanks to the Home Secretary, we will have both the shops and cards well-guarded.”

“How much can a card buy?” asked Anna.

“We have different cards. Most families receive white cards which allow them to buy two pounds of bread, eight ounces of meat or fish, another eight ounces of vegetables or fruits of their choosing, six ounces of cheese, and six pounds of kindling. Purple cards are given to families with either children under twelve years old or pregnant or nursing mothers which allows them to buy a little more. And green cards are the same only they’re given to families of both the City Watch and the military. Food items considered as luxury such as chocolate, coffee, and chocolate have remained unrestricted for now. We distribute these cards once a week.”

“And under this plan, how long do you estimate our food to last?” asked Elsa.

“Four months, at the least,” he replied. “Certainly long enough to withstand a siege until help arrives.”

“Very well,” she said. She then straightened her back and continued, “Lady and gentlemen, a great trial is coming upon us. I intend to see Arendelle prevail over this threat and once I’ve ensured her and her people have survived and thrived despite it, I will make sure whoever is responsible is justly punished for this heinous act of aggression. But to do so, I will need your help and your support. As long as we stay as one united strength, we will prevail.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” the Council chanted, Anna almost joining them.

*             *             *

 _Impressive_ , Hans thought as he peered through the spyglass at the icy wall surrounding the fjord into Arendelle. _Predictable but impressive._ Of course he received word that the Snow Queen had taken immediate action but it was one thing to read about it in a hastily scribbled message, stuffed in the claws of a bird. It was another to see it with his own eyes. He collapsed the spyglass in his hand and turned away. It would be another two hours or so before _Tilbel_ breached Arendelle waters or so the captain reassured him. A fortuitous burst of favourable winds had gained them nearly another day.

All things said, his plans were proceeding as he imagined. He had no doubts that the Queen and the Princess would survive the assassination attempt with _Soliuan_ and indeed, he would have been very surprised if either of them were actually killed. But from what he heard, the damage he wrecked on the two had been quite significant. Similarly he had no idea if the two sisters were actually sleeping with each other. In fact, he was pretty confident the Snow Queen was incapable of romantic love. But spreading the rumours, or rather instructing the _Ordo Malleus_ to spread those rumours, helped erode the people’s trust in their queen and made them more willing to accept him as their new ruler. Because his father was right as he always was. His folly had destroyed his reputation at Arendelle and even if it hadn’t, the Snow Queen would make sure any reception he received from the people would be a sour one. But fortunately he didn’t exactly have to restore their good faith in him. At least not yet. All he had to do was make the Snow Queen a worse ruler than him. That given a choice between him and her, he would be the better choice.

The sound of a bird call reached his ears and he looked up to see a bird flying towards the ship from the direction they were sailing towards. Hans stretched out his hand and waited patiently for the pipit to land on top of it. As expected, he found a message tied to the legs. He carefully slipped it out and began to read it.

_Arendelle maximum strength: 600. Queen has called for help. No reply yet. City can endure siege for four months._

He nodded a few times after he finished and extracted a match from his pocket. He then struck it against the railing and brought the message to the open flame. Hans watched as the wind blew the ashes out into the sea before flinging the spent match overboard. The message was simply adequate in the amount of information it provided. Spread over four mercenary companies, Hans had a little less than one thousand men at his command. Enough to crush the Arendelle forces in an open field. Not only did Hans know that but he also knew that the Snow Queen would know that as well and decide to cower behind her city walls. Which, according to the message, would give her four months. By then, winter would have come and her powers would be at their strongest while his resources would be depleted. Obviously he had no intention in letting her last that long but he was still struggling to find ways of accomplishing that goal.

He looked down the length of _Tilbel_ towards the stern, noting the ballistae fixed on the deck and the pikes held in racks. He personally didn’t know how much use they would be considering Arendelle didn’t have much of a navy and even then the Snow Queen wasn’t interested in an open water combat. They could be useful in bringing down the ice walls though. He would have to consult with the captain about that. Military strategy hadn’t exactly been Hans’ greatest strength. That was Valdemar’s and Anton’s field of expertise. He was more adept at the sly political machinations but he was fairly confident that he was at least better at warfare than the Snow Queen was even with her advisors. Or at least that was what he thought until the galleass drew closer to Arendelle.

The first thing he noticed was that it was suddenly rather cold. It was as if he stepped outside the Great Hall at home with its five hearths lit to the bitter cold of the North Mountain. Then he saw just how truly terrific the Snow Queen’s wall was. There were two of them: one that spanned from lighthouse to lighthouse and blocked passage into the harbour and a shorter one that was some distance away from the first wall and surrounded the castle as well as the harbour entrance. In fact it was so short that he could see a tiny part of the castle wall above them. He also saw his other ships anchored nearby and he wondered furiously why the icebreakers hadn’t began their work. His question was answered soon enough.

Ice spikes jutted out from the base of the wall and several feet away. Hans wasn’t close enough to take precise mental dimensions but if he were to guess, most of them were at least a few yards long. They were spaced close enough that he doubted he could squeeze his icebreakers between the spikes. Precious time would therefore be spent cutting away the spikes before they could inch their way forward. Or perhaps they could simply walk across the frozen fjord and scale the walls but somehow he doubted the Snow Queen would make things that easy for them.

One thing he did notice was that the ice wall appeared to be unmanned. Maybe she didn’t have enough men to guard it or she trusted the spikes to do all the defending. Either way, this was something he could exploit. The castle walls were guarded though and as the galleass drew closer to Arendelle, Hans pulled the hood up over his face. Not for a second did Hans believe the Snow Queen did not suspect him for the series of misfortunes her kingdom suffered recently. But there was a difference between knowing for certain that he was responsible and simply having a hunch.

“Vessel approaching!” shouted someone at the crow’s nest. “Coming from larboard bow!”

Furrowing his eyebrows, Hans drew open the spyglass and peered at that direction. It wasn’t anything from Arendelle. It was a small rowboat and, if he wasn’t mistaken, led by Mr Michael Wattmann of the Wild Band of Men.  

“Let them board!” he commanded. As he compressed the spyglass, he felt _Tilbel_ ’s draw to a slower speed as her sails were rolled up. Minutes later, Mr Wattmann heaved himself over the railing and landed on top of the deck.

“Mr Wattmann,” Hans said in lieu of a greeting. “What do you have to report?”

“We captured a village closest to the fjord as you requested. There’s forty-seven people in there. Fifteen men, eighteen women, and fourteen children.”

“Have they been mistreated?” Hans asked.

“No, my lord. Not yet, at least.”

“Meaning…?” Hans asked, waiting for him to elaborate.

“They can be if you command it,” Mr Wattmann explained. “We’re waiting for orders, my lord.”

Now this was a tricky situation. In his hands he had a village filled with the Snow Queen’s subjects and if all went well with his plans, filled with _his_ subjects. He could, as Valdemar would no doubt argue, have them all killed. Spare one to send to Arendelle to tell the tale and let them all know what happened if they stood with their queen. Fear could divide them, could separate them, and indeed could cause them to betray their beloved queen and her darling princess. But fear easily led to hatred and hatred would unify them against him. And he didn’t know which side the people would lean towards. _This_ was information he needed.

After a few more minutes thinking about it, he said, “Set the villagers free. But first tell them to spread the word. That we are here only for the Royal Sisters. If they let us take what we want, we will spare them. If they however wish to stand with them, then they can die with the sisters. In the meantime, there will no raping. There will be no torture. Is that understood?”

Hans couldn’t tell if Mr Wattmann was disappointed or relieved when he received that command. “Yes, my lord,” he simply said. “I’ll let the boys know.”

“Good. Once you’ve secured the village, send a bird and I’ll bring reinforcements with me when I land.”

“Very good. I shall see you then.” The mercenary captain bowed and walked towards the railing while Hans turned towards the ice wall. One way or another, he was going to get the throne of Arendelle. Whether he had to kill two people or two hundred was not his decision anymore. It belonged to the people of Arendelle now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was suggested that I attempt to address the issue regarding the Sami in this fanfic. From what little research I've done, the Sami people have faced repeated attempts to have their culture, religion, and traditions erased in the past and I can sincerely hope my feeble efforts will help shed some light on to it. If any of my readers are of that culture and have ideas that you believe would help me bring the message about your people better, I invite you to let me know and share them with me.
> 
> Also, as you can tell, I'm trying to make sense of the technology used in Arendelle according to the movies and have decided no on cannons or muskets or any form of firearms. So if you were looking for that...sorry? Anyway there will be a few action scenes soon and I can't make a promise to you how many more chapters there will be but this is like the end of the second act/start of the third? I guess? 
> 
> Once again, I welcome any and all feedback you might have to offer.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always go to [hybrid-rain](http://hybrid-rain.tumblr.com/) as always for being an inspirational sounding board and helping me come up with ideas [sporadic-tiger](http://sporadic-tiger.tumblr.com/) for agreeing to be my proofreader and nitpicker, [emirael](http://emirael.tumblr.com/) for helping with the world building, and [frickfractals](http://frickfractals.tumblr.com/), [the-perfect-girl-is-gone](http://the-perfect-girl-is-gone.tumblr.com/), [izzyvonheeringen](http://http://izzyvonheeringen.tumblr.com/), [winterqueenelsaa](http://winterqueenelsaa.tumblr.com/), [patronustrip](http://patronustrip.tumblr.com/), [r9khaileyissuffering](http://r9khaileyissuffering.tumblr.com/), [50shadesofelsanna](http://50shadesofelsanna.tumblr.com/), and [fyeahkristelsanna](http://fyeahkristelsanna.tumblr.com/) for promoting and recommending my fanfics. One thing that is truly amazing is how quickly the aforementioned list is growing. And of course, my readers for your kudos and comments. Seriously I know this isn't one of the biggest Elsanna fanfics out there so it means so much that you dig that extra foot of ground to find this one and try to shed some light on it. You guys are the best! :))

Elsa stopped before the doors and sighed. Now not only was she the first woman to take the throne in seventy years, the youngest monarch, and the first ruler of Arendelle to possess magic, but she was also going to be the first queen to lead Arendelle to war in nearly a century. She wondered if she received a prize if she collected enough “firsts”. She tugged on her gloves, making sure they were secure over her hands, before she nodded at the two guards standing in front of the throne room. They opened the door with an aching creak, allowing her and her personal retinue of guards to walk in.

“All hail Her Majesty, Queen Elsa of Arendelle,” announced Kai as everyone in the room either bowed or curtseyed.

She took her seat on the throne and watched as the courtiers rose.

“Please allow our guests in,” Elsa commanded as she prepared herself to receive the first victims of this war.

The doors opposite of her were opened and in stepped less than fifty people, men, women, and children. They all looked remarkably well considering they had been roused from their homes and driven towards the city. She wondered if they had been harmed, either physically or otherwise, before let loose. She hoped to God they weren’t. Not for her sake or theirs but for the Wild Band’s.

“Who among you represents you?” she asked as soon as they all stepped as close to her throne as possible.

One woman stepped up and said, “Mayoress Edme, if it pleases you, Your Majesty.”

“Mayoress Edme,” Elsa said. “What do you have to tell this court?”

“Your Majesty, three days ago, our village was visited by a group of soldiers. There were forty in all but the leader of them said there were more coming. They demanded that we accommodate them and said that they would stay here with or without our consent. Fearing for the lives of my citizens, I surrendered my village to them. We stayed as prisoners in our homes for two days until their leader told us that we were all free to leave. That while our houses were theirs, we could still keep our lives. And…Your Majesty…” Mayoress Edme stopped to gather her breath. “Your Majesty, the leader told us to give you a message.”

“And what message would that be?” asked Elsa, although she had a feeling she knew what it was.

“That the armies gathered at Arendelle are here for one and only one purpose. To remove the Royal Sisters from the throne. They only want the lives of Queen Elsa and Princess Anna. The leader told me that once they possessed both, they would gladly leave our kingdom in peace. But that if we stood with the queen and her sister, then we would die with them.”

Elsa closed her eyes and sighed as the court began to mutter furiously among themselves. She feared as much. There was no other cause for someone to invade Arendelle except her. Whether it was because she was an incestuous harlot who fornicated with her sister or because she was a powerful witch with near unlimited power, she was the one prize worth waging a war over. Even when she had her powers under control, she still was a threat to her kingdom.

“Have they harmed either you or any of your people?” asked Elsa, her words silencing the court in their wake. “Have you been mistreated in any way during your time with them?”

“No, Your Majesty,” replied Mayoress Edme. “There was a small incident involving Mr Andvik and a soldier but the mercenary leader chose to dismiss it as a personal grievance.” Elsa noticed that one of the men standing in the back did indeed have a bruised eye. “But other than that, they were rather content in letting us conduct our affairs. Until they told us to leave, that is.”

“Curious,” Elsa muttered to herself. She couldn’t recall if she’s ever heard such courteous mercenaries before. “Rest assured, Mayoress Edme and residents of Belik,” she said louder. “When this is over, justice will be served to the men who banished you from your homes and livelihoods. In the meantime, accommodations and rationing will be arranged for you. If any of you wish to join the war effort, we would greatly appreciate your assistance.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Mayoress Edme said, curtseying. “God bless you and your reign.” As she joined her people in walking out of the throne room, Elsa noticed that a few of them leaned against each other and more than once did she hear someone stifle a sob. _Conceal, don’t feel_ , she thought as she tried not to think of the lives she had ruined and will ruin because of the enemies at their doors. She wished she could go to each villager, man and woman, adult and child, and tell them that everything would be all right. But she didn’t know if that was true and she wasn’t good at comforting people. Except Anna perhaps. Anna would be far better at this than her.

“Kai, who else are we expecting today,” she asked when she felt comfortable with her control over her emotions.

“Lord Lindahl and party,” he replied.

Elsa tried to suppress a sigh but failed. “Let them in,” she said with a noted lack of enthusiasm in her voice.

Seconds later, the lord himself entered the room, strutting like a peacock, surrounded his flock. It didn’t escape Elsa’s notice that Lord Gutherford was among them. Eight in all, they all bowed before her, too short and too shallow befitting proper courtesy. Normally Elsa wouldn’t care but the fact that they weren’t even trying to hide their disrespect for her meant that they clearly did not expect her to remain here for long. Or perhaps that was just her paranoia.

“Your Majesty,” he began. “I had hoped to discuss a few concerns my friends and I share regarding the state of the kingdom.”

“You may,” Elsa said with a curt nod. She knew he wanted for a private audience but this was where she was willing to talk and nowhere else. She was too busy to entertain obnoxious lords who didn’t even give her the respect she deserved in her study.

When it finally became clear to him that he would have to have his conversation at the throne room, he continued, “Your Majesty, we are concerned that the crown is interfering with our affairs. Just yesterday, I was told that the steel I’ve been holding has been confiscated. Lord Gutherford here has had the majority of his timber taken by soldiers, saying it’s for the good of the kingdom. May I ask what is going on?”

“What is going on, Lord Lindahl,” Elsa explained as calmly as she could in face of such blissful ignorance. “Is that there is a war. I dare hope that you gentlemen have not forgotten about that. Those men are acting on my command as suggested by the Lord Commander. We need steel to make crossbow bolt heads and armour for our soldiers and we need timber to raise supplemental barricades.”  

“Could you not simply conjure more with your magical powers?” asked Lord Gutherford.

“At the risk of condemning Arendelle through harsher weathers,” Elsa said resolutely. “I’ve already placed my people through one early winter. I will not put them through any more unnecessary suffering.”

“Which is exactly what we are going through!” shouted another lord. It was obviously he had more to say but he was hastily silenced by his peers before he could continue.

“And the rationing, Your Majesty,” Lord Lindahl quickly said. “My steward came in yesterday with two packs of rationing cards. Am I to assume that I am to only receive double the normal rationing?”

“I believe you are rather mistaken, my lord,” Elsa replied. “One pack is meant for you and the other is meant for your steward.”

“So everyone receives the same?” he asked, as if the concept of rationing was completely foreign to him.

“No, but since you are neither an active member of the military or the City Watch, a nursing or pregnant mother, or a child under the age of 12,” Elsa explained, tactfully leaving out her opinion that he acted like the latter. “You cannot receive more rations than allotted to you.”

“But why, Your Majesty?” he said, further reinforcing his resemblance to a child.

“Because we are in the middle of a siege!” she very nearly shouted. “There are enemies threatening our kingdom and we need to …”

“Enemies who are after you!” Lord Lindahl interrupted.

Silence dominated the throne room after his outburst. Stunned by his insolence, Elsa leaned her head back as her eyebrows flew up her face. But before she could respond, one of the courtiers to her left snarled, “How dare you! This is the Queen you’re addressing!”

“Lord Lindahl speaks the truth!” cried the rowdy lord. And this time he wasn’t silenced by his fellow gentlemen. “Their demands are quite clear. They want only the Queen and the Princess! Give them up and we will have peace.”

“Are you mad?!” retorted the courtier. Elsa took a closer look at him, noticing the gentle touch of age upon his face and hair. Yet for a man of probably fifty-five years, he had the verbal bile of a temperamental youth. “Do you think it’ll be _that_ easy? And have you forgotten your vows?! To be forever loyal to your queen?”

“A queen who sleeps with her own sister is no true queen!”

“Liar!”

“Suck-up!”

And within seconds, the court quickly dissolved into a cacophonic anarchy with shouts and insults hurled at every direction. Elsa looked from one lord to the next as they hollered and screamed at each other’s faces, completely ignoring that she was present in _her_ throne room. As hands began to close around sword hilts and her royal guards started approaching with half-lowered halberds and nervous steps, she knew she had to take control before a civil war broke out in her own throne room. _But how to get their attention_. By now, the combined voices was deafening and she never possessed a strong shouting voice to begin with.

Fortunately Kai stepped forward and shouted with a voice she hadn’t known he possessed, “ ** _QUIET!!”_**

That was sufficient to stop everyone present from talking and now she had a chance to use that silence for anything. But what she was going to do? Tell Lord Lindahl that he was right and she should surrender herself to the mercenaries? Berate them all for acting so childish like an irate school mistress? What she did now would determine the course of her reign and inevitably her own fate and Anna's fate. And then something bizarre happened.

She stood up from her throne and, before her mind could seize control of herself, she turned her attention towards the people in front of her and said, “Lord Lindahl is correct in saying that our enemies have stated that their only goal is removing me and my sister from the throne. I would not disagree with that but please let every ear in Arendelle hear my, these words. I come before you, not…” She swallowed her saliva as she tried to both think of the words to say and argue with other parts of her mind. “Not as your ruler or your queen, but as your humble servant. Whose only care is to provide peace, prosperity, and…and happiness to you. And my people.” She took a deep breath to ask herself just _what_ was she doing. She was hardly a great orator; she had no business giving an impromptu speech! But all eyes were on her, examining and observing her, and if she made one wrong move, she might as well give herself over to the mercenaries and save them the trouble.

“I know I was given this responsibility at a very young age and some people might see as a weakness. …A sign that I am not fit to rule. And if you do not think I should sit on this throne. If you think that I should surrender myself to the invaders at our doors and give in to this threat. If that is what you believe, truly believe, then please speak. If not, then please know that you and every man, woman, and child in Arendelle. Everyone has my solemn and sacred oath that I will rule this kingdom with wisdom, kindness, and justice. As my dear and beloved father did before me.”

Everyone was silent for a minute and Elsa stood anxiously, feeling rather exhausted from the effort spent on that speech. Then someone moved forward. But it wasn’t from Lord Lindahl or Gutherford or any of the others. It was the courtier who first spoke on her behalf.

“Your Majesty,” he said. “I was a loyal subject of your great father. I am and always will be your loyal subject. You have my absolute faith that you will guide us to a greater future.” He pulled out his sword, bent his knees before her, placing the sword tip down against the floor, and cried, “Long live the Queen!”

His cry was echoed by other people in the throne room. Even Kai said it a few times before he stopped himself. Although some refrained from carrying their demonstration as far as the courtier did, their support nonetheless amazed her. Elsa looked around and saw everyone had gone on their knees. Even Lord Lindahl and his party although they did not join in the chanting and one or two of them had pulled down. But she didn’t care. She had a feeling even if someone had wanted her to surrender herself, it wouldn’t have happened. Not if Anna had her way, at least. But it comforted her to know that they all had faith in her. For now, at least.

*             *             *

One week had lapsed since he landed on Arendelle and so far Hans was disappointed with the progress. _Very_ disappointed.

When he arrived at Belik, his immediate plan was to spread out and capture other villages in the area. Unfortunately all the other villages on this side of kingdom had already been evacuated before the Wild Band reached them. On the other side of the city, his men gave a similar report. He supposed he should be grateful he managed to get at least one. The next step was ensuring he did have the people inside the city had no way of getting in or out. Only an imbecile stormed the walls of a defended city and Hans was no imbecile. But he had to make sure the city was actually surrounded. Otherwise the siege would be pointless. Messages from his other forces on the opposite end of the city told him they have secured their side. After inspecting where the walls merged with the mountains, he was confident that this side was secured as well.

Of course the main problem was that the city could last twice as long as he could. The mercenary companies arranged their own supply lines and it only took a few ducats to get supplies for himself and the Duke’s bodyguards but he still needed to pay the mercenaries. And both bodyguards made it amply clear that the Duke expected this venture to end before mid-autumn, one way or another. At first Hans had no idea how Arendelle could even last that long, especially since he had seen their warehouses and was confident they only had enough food for a month and a half. But then when he was inspecting Belik, he found a peculiar building that housed the village’s food at a cool temperature with a layer of ice lining the walls. With half a dozen of these, it was obvious that Arendelle could safely store its food without fear of spoiling for a long period of time. Which meant Hans needed a change of tactics and luckily he had prepared for that. Or so he thought.

For mysterious reasons, and perhaps the same reasons how the Snow Queen received her powers, Hans had a slight affinity with animals since a boy. He always was better talking to the horses in the stables or the hounds in the kennels than to his brothers or his peers and he found they were better listeners than humans. So he had brought with him in this voyage a cage full of specially-bred mice. They couldn’t speak nor did they carry the plague but they were smart enough to understand him when he asked them to find passages in and out of the city and the castle and point them out to him. And if all else failed, they could also devour the food stores, breed, and help bring the siege to a swifter end. That was the plan, at least. A couple days after he released the mice, he received a bag from one of his scouts and was told that he was asked to deliver it directly to the leader. When he upended the bag, a small shower of owl pellets and mice skeletons fell to the ground. Hans still wasn’t sure which upset him the most: the fact that he thought this plan would actually work, the fact that he had lost a mischief of mice rather soon in the siege, the fact that the Snow Queen had thought to defend herself against rodents, or the fact that she thought she had to gloat over her victory by sending this bag.

And it didn’t seem attacking from the sea was having much luck either. They had already tried venturing across the frozen fjord. It ended with a person falling into ice. No one else seemed eager to try another attempt so they were stuck pushing the icebreakers forward. Hans had observed them work, digging specialised oars into the ice and rowing the ships forward as men chiselled at the icy floor below them and sawed away the spikes with ropes tied around their waists. It was incredibly time-consuming and as each day elapsed, the ships gained only a few feet across the ice. What made it worse for Hans was that even if they reached the walls, he hadn’t the faintest what he would do. Scaling the ice wall only brought them closer to Arendelle crossbows and God knew what else was waiting for them on the other side of the wall.

Valdemar had said that there were only three ways a siege could be won by the attackers: wait for the defenders to starve to death or die from a disease of some sort, destroy or sneak through the walls, or get someone inside the walls to let you in. It was obvious that the first two were going to take too long to work so Hans was forced to rely on the third. He regularly dropped letters by bird into the city, telling them that surrendering was their best option. That the people had no reason to fear the invaders if they simply gave up the sisters. He ordered more torches and fires lit in the camps and on the ships to make it seem they were more grossly outnumbered. He was also confident that the _Ordo Malleus_ was hard at work twisting this invasion into a sermon about sinful rulers defying the will of God or something like that and equally sure that a few factions in the city were festering with resentment and annoyance towards the Snow Queen.

There was a knock against the door in the office he occupied for the time being.

“Come in,” he said absentmindedly.

The door opened and Hans looked up to see Fritz standing under it.

“What is it?” he asked promptly.

“Sir,” the shaven-faced man said. “The lads out there are getting restless.”

Hans didn’t even try to stop himself from rolling his eyes. “Why? They’re essentially getting paid to do _nothing_. I thought mercenaries _loved_ sieges for that very reason.”

“Most, yes. But a few of them, they’re itching for a bit of action. Especially since now that war’s broken out in Poland.”

“War’s broken out in Poland,” Hans repeated. He couldn’t exactly say he was surprised but he wished he learned about it by himself. “Well, I guess that means Corona isn’t going to be able to help. That’s good news. For most of us at least.” He heard that the Coronan military had gone through some heavy restructuring that might make it one of the more capable forces. Definitely not able to contest an empire but a substantial threat for a small kingdom. “What else? I know you wouldn’t come here unless it was really important.”

Fritz sighed and said, “Mr Bolvangar says that his letter of credit from the Duke is missing.”

“Missing?” Hans repeated again. “What does he mean ‘missing’?”

“He said he had it on his counter in his room over the tavern this morning. He locked the door when he went out to check on his men and when he came back, the letter was gone.”

“Did he leave his windows open?”

Fritz hesitated for a second before he admitted, “….Yes.”

Hans groaned as he cradled his forehead with both hands.

“…Is that a bad thing?” asked Fritz tentatively.

“For me, not particularly,” Hans replied, his voice muffled by his hands. But the anger and frustration in his voice was still strong enough to make the bodyguard flinch. “For you and your boss, however, yes. The Snow Queen has it.”

“How?”

“One of her pet birds has stolen it,” he said, raising his head from his palms. “That’s why I told him to close the windows. I swore I saw a Xiongnu falcon flying around here last Wednesday.” He glanced at Fritz’s direction and saw bewilderment starting to cloud his face. Hans hastily explained, slowing his voice like a tutor would when talking to a particularly dim child, “One of the smartest birds in the world. And she has one of them.”

“I’ll get the lads to hunting, then,” Fritz said.

Hans just barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes but he couldn’t resist snapping, “Don’t bother. They’ll never get it.” His lips twisted in a brief snarl in frustration as he growled under his breath. What worries he had about the Queen and her minions intercepting his letters were confirmed. He still had a few options but his bag of tricks were running out.

*             *             *

Far off in the North Mountain, inside the deserted Ice Palace, a mighty monster was roused from his sleep. A long low groan echoed through the icy halls as the beast slowly stood up. Something was wrong. His mother was in danger. With a triumphant roar, The Lonely King of the Mountain shambled his way out of the ice palace and towards the besieged city of Arendelle.

*             *             *

“The armies standing at the doorstep of our doomed city was sent by Our Lord and in His infinite mercy, He offers the innocent salvation and peace. And to the guilty, to those who support that lecherous witch who lies with her own sister, He will punish in the fires of war. AND Hell!”

“Wow, that guy is really something, isn’t he?” commented Kristoff lightly as he stood with Anna and Sven among the crowd that had gathered around the bishop preaching in the town square further from the palace. Her two guards stood at a respectful distance from them but he was still a little uncomfortable with their presence. Members of his cult gathered around him, leering at anyone who seemed to look at them too long. “I swear I’ve seen some of those guys before,” he said, narrowing his eyes at them.

“Wait, who, them?” Anna asked, looking at him, then the cultists, and back to him.

“Yeah, they came by a couple years ago when we were working. They told us that our religion was wrong and that we had to convert to Catholicism or we wouldn’t be true citizens of Arendelle.”

“What did you say to them?”

“I think I told them to get out or I’d throw him in the frozen lake.”

“God, I wish you did…” she said as she turned her gaze to the bishop.

“I don’t understand, what they’re saying clearly isn’t going to make things easier for your sister and her army. Why doesn’t she just have them all arrested?”

“I tried telling her that but she says she doesn’t want to abuse her power like that. If she did that, then more people would be mad at her.”

Kristoff simply shrugged his shoulders and said, “I suppose she has a fair point. But, hey, at least you got your women soldiers.”

Anna gave a small smile and said, “True. I mean, it took some planning with the Lord Commander but I think he said he managed to get four all-female platoons. And he’s going to try to find female officers for them and everything.”

“So when this is over, people are going to remember that you were the one who came up with the idea and got it to work.” he said in an obvious fake excited voice.

But, much to his dismay, she sighed and said, “Maybe. Or maybe they all fail and people are going to remember that I messed up. _Again_.”

She had told him about the attack at the docks and how she had thought she was the one to blame for it since she pretty much invited them over. And even though she said she realised it wasn’t her fault, Kristoff had a feeling that part of her still blamed herself for what happened. But he wasn’t sure how much help he’ll be. If her sister and her fencing instructor tried and couldn’t help her get past it, he doubt he could.

There was so much of Bishop Mathesien’s ranting that Kristoff could take and eventually the three of them walked off to head back to the palace, Anna’s pair of guards following them. They walked past an ice tower, one of several Elsa created in the city. Squads of soldiers were patrolling everywhere, more than he had ever seen his life. Anyone who was on the street didn’t stick around for too long and most of them had a club or an axe in within hand’s reach. They passed by one of the Royal Emergency Shops with the adjoining warehouse and Kristoff saw that a queue of people at the threshold of the shop. Sven glanced wistfully at the Shop and gave a small bellow. Knowing exactly what he wanted, Kristoff immediately rummaged through his pockets for his packet of ration cards.

“I know I have it here somewhere…” he muttered when he felt a tap against his shoulder. He looked up and saw Anna holding her own. And the first thing he asked was “Wait, why do you have ration cards? You’re the princess.”

“Elsa and I agreed to go on rations as well,” she explained. “It wouldn’t be fair to limit how much our people could eat while we ate what we wanted...”

“Yeah but don’t you need them?” Kristoff asked, still staring at the cards in her hand.

She just shrugged and said, “I can give up one vegetable ration for Sven. Elsa won’t mind.”

They joined the queue and at first the people there were fairly oblivious to who was standing. But then one of them turned around for whatever reason and clearly recognised the princess. With a shocked “Your Highness”, she stepped back and dipped into a curtsey. Soon everyone saw the royal in their midst and bowed and curtseyed. Then they all stepped back until she and Kristoff had a clear path to the counter in the shop. But Anna shook her head.

“No, carry on like normal,” she said. “You all stood patiently to bring your food for your family. I don’t want to spoil it for you guys.”

It took them a while for them to actually get back in line but after Anna smiled at the brave person who inched his way into his former place, it wasn’t long before everyone else joined him. Even still many people kept glancing at Anna as if they didn’t believe she was actually there. The City Watch officers posted in the shop and the two guards scowled but Anna gave them a small wave when she noticed someone looking at her. They were also much quicker in getting their rations than Kristoff suspected they would normally. He was sure they would be waiting for at least forty minutes but almost twenty minutes later, they walked out of the shop with a bag of carrots for Sven.

“I’ll pay you back, I promise,” Kristoff kept saying as he fed Sven. “I just don’t know why I couldn’t find it. Must have left at my room, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Anna said, stroking the reindeer’s neck. “Whatever I can do to help. I still feel awful with what I said to you. But…”

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m…well, I’m glad you actually told me. Not a lot of people have that kind of courage.”

Anna smiled at him and agreed to take a bite from the carrot when he offered it to her. After he finished off the carrot, the three continued their way back to the palace. Suddenly Kristoff heard a faint sound of glass breaking somewhere behind them. At first he thought nothing of it but then the wind brought a whiff of smoke to his nose. He whirled around and saw the shop he walked out of just minutes before engulfed in flames. Screams echoed across the streets as once more bells began to ring. Three short high ones, different from the low bellowing ones of invaders in the city. But Kristoff doubted that would make a difference to the people.

Anna turned around and saw the fire and then her eyes looked at something. “Look,” she said, pointing at somewhere near the burning store. Kristoff squinted through the smoke and could see someone was running away from the fire. And he doubted he was running to get the fire brigade. But before he could react, Anna rushed towards him, deaf to his cries and with her guards hot at her heels. He groaned in frustration before turning to Sven.

“Sven, go get Elsa,” he said. “I don’t know if she already knows what’s going on. And yeah, I know she probably can’t understand you. But she’s smart enough to know it’s an emergency and she could lose a lot of food in the fire. Can you do that?”

Sven bellowed in affirmation. “Good boy, Sven,” he said. As the reindeer trotted off, he turned back to the fire. He couldn’t chase after the arsonist as Anna did. He already lost sight of them both. But there were people still in that shop and food that the city relied on and he needed to save them. Sure, most of the customers probably wouldn’t think too kindly of him because of who he was and where he came from. And he had his doubts if they would be willing to rush into a burning building to save Sami people. The utter disdain and mistrust the Royal Treasurer gave him at the Council still stayed in his thoughts even as he worked to help the city in this war, toiling with Elsa’s soldiers in raising the defences of the city and going through training with the other conscripts. It wasn’t fair. Fair would be leaving the people to suffocate in the smoke and the supplies to burn in the flames. Fair would be getting Sven and sneaking out of the city. Fair would be never alerting Elsa about the invasion in the first place.

But being fair didn’t always mean the right thing.

He sprinted towards the building and looked for the nearest City Watch officer. With all the new recruits, they didn’t have enough uniforms to distribute and settled for purple and green scarves and silver pins. So it was a little more difficult to find one but Kristoff eventually found a woman with a purple scarf, keeping people away from the fire.

“Officer, is there anything I can do to assist?” he asked, showing his medal as Official Ice Deliverer and Master. He had about as much business helping out as the couple quickly scurrying away from the fire and he knew that. But maybe _she_ didn’t.

“Fire brigade’s on their way,” she said briskly. “Still don’t know what caused the fire though.”

“It could be arson,” Kristoff said. “Heard a glass crack before the fire started and I think I saw someone running off.” Seeing the look of frustration growing on her face, he quickly said, “But my…ehhh….associate is chasing him down.” He didn’t think it was a good idea to mention that the Princess of Arendelle was running after the arsonist like a common City Watch officer.

Although she still looked unhappy, she seemed content with his lie. "Very well,” she said. “The fire started in the warehouse part of the shop so we managed to get all of the people out. Of course that also means nearly two weeks of food for the entire city will be going up in flames.”

“Okay, so we gotta save as much of that as we can,” he said, mostly to himself.

The officer nodded. “But unfortunately we have to wait for Fire Brigade before we can do anything…”

Kristoff just nodded and waited. And after three minutes, a large cart pulled by four horses stormed through the streets, accompanied by an entourage of firefighters. As several of them began assembling the hose with the hydrant, the rest with Kristoff went inside the burning building to rescue what they could of the supplies. All he heard was the roar and crackling of the fire as he lifted wooden boxes, objects wrapped in paper, and burlap sacks and handed them off to whoever’s arms were free. The air was thick with smoke and even with the wet rag tied over his nose and mouth, it tasted foul. All was fine for a while until when Kristoff reached for a wooden crate, he heard a groan coming from the shelves and the next thing he knew, the entire thing was starting to lean towards him.

He quickly put his arms over his head and tried to scramble away but he only managed a few steps before the shelves collapsed on top of him, landing on his lower body. Kristoff ground his teeth as pain surged from his legs to his head but the fact that he was in pain meant he could still feel. He tried slipping his legs out but it seemed they were pinned. But hey, at least the shelves weren’t on fire. Yet. He had no intention of dying here and not for something like this. For Sven, absolutely. For Bulda and his family, sure. For Anna, definitely. But for something as mundane as…food, heroic death this was not.

As if he thought it couldn’t get any worse, he saw that some of the embers had landed on the shelves and soon enough, that began to catch on fire. _Oh…great,_ he thought and as he felt the heat slowly surround and smother him, he tried his best to keep his breathing even and wriggle his way out of his situation. The top of the shelves dug uncomfortably through his clothes and he felt it scrap against his stomach. Similarly his boots were caught against a shelf. Then it was like someone dumped an entire bucket of panic over his head as he wondered if he was going to lie her choking on the smoke and abandoned by the very people he was trying to save. Suddenly someone stood over him. A few someones. He had not been completely forgotten as he had feared. As two of them lifted the shelves off him, another extended his hand out for him. Gratefully Kristoff grabbed and slowly pulled himself on to his steady feet. However that wasn’t the end of his plight.

Part of the ceiling still on fire fell under the heat and then yet another set of shelves fell on top of that. While no one was under all that burning mess, the barricade was too high to climb over and with the flames closing in on them, it was plain to everyone they were effectively trapped inside. As they all immediately tried their best to clear the path, Kristoff instantly felt guilty. Because of his mistake, he was going to doom three more people who only tried to save him. He imagined the feeling was similar to how Anna must have felt when she found out _Soluian_ was filled with mercenaries trying to assassinate her and her sister. But he felt too embarrassed to say sorry to them and did his best to not look at any of them as they worked.

With their axes, they managed to clear some of it away and but just as Kristoff pulled his axe back for another swing, the smoke became too much and he began coughing, his grip on the axe lost. He crouched on the ground and coughed for a good minute or so. When one of them stopped his work and went towards him, Kristoff waved him away. To him, it was more important that these three strangers went on and survived. They tried to save him once and they got themselves trapped in his mess for their troubles. They didn’t need to try for a second time. And then he felt something hit his cheek and gently slid down on it. Something cold and something wet.

Kristoff looked up and saw snow drifting down from the burning ceiling and onto the burning flames. At first they just melted in the fire but the snow was relentless and eventually all the flames were smothered. Gradually the smoke cleared from the partially burned building. Kristoff tore the rag off his face and coughed a few more times before he joined the other firefighters in climbing over the debris. When they finally reached outside, he saw Elsa on a horse with her royal guards behind her and Olaf in her lap. Sven stood nearby and upon seeing him, dashed for Kristoff. He nuzzled his head against his shoulder, turning his head so that his massive antlers didn’t touch him.

“Hey, buddy,” Kristoff said, rubbing his neck. “I’m sorry to worry you like that. Won’t happen again. Promise.” He turned from Sven to see the queen approach him, still mounted on her horse. But it was Olaf who spoke first.

“Kristoff!” he exclaimed, bouncing off the horse and giving his leg a hug. “You’re okay! Boy, am I glad to see you!”

Kristoff gave a weak chuckle, looked down, and said, “You, too, Olaf. You, too…” He looked back at the queen and said, “Your Majesty, I’m grateful for your assistance.”

She smiled politely and said, “Once more, I must thank you for your courage, Kristoff. And your service to this kingdom. I’m very grateful to have you with us.”

He blushed and idly scratched the back of his neck. “It’s nothing,” he mumbled. “I’m surprised you understood Sven though.”

“I did the translating!” boasted Olaf as he waddled towards Elsa, still facing him. He took her outstretched hand and climbed back to the horse. “At first she didn’t know what he was trying to say so I told her that Sven needed her somewhere important and she just had to follow him.”

“Well,” Kristoff remarked, still slightly surprised. “I’m glad it all worked out. So…how much of the supplies did we manage to save?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t know until the City Watch finish their work,” Elsa said. “But I have one more question.”

Kristoff nodded and waited.

“Where’s Anna?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just try to imagine an early Disney style or an American Tail style story going on with Hans' mice as they try to find all the secret passages in and out of the city and the castle. Only to be eaten by a cat or an owl. Yup, I'm a monster. :DD Hans being somewhat able to communicate with animals came from a headcanon I ran into on Tumblr and it seemed to make sense. Especially if he was mostly neglected by his brothers.
> 
> The old courtier will be a bit important. He was already mentioned once so I guess it's time for you to go back and try to figure out who he is. Should be fairly easy. Elsa's speech was actually going to be much more public but I decided that this would be a better place for her to have it especially when she's being questioned openly in her own throne room. At first I wrote the speech as a public speaker and then added little mistakes and pauses because Elsa is many things but an incredible orator she is not. 
> 
> Once again, thank you for reading and I welcome any and all feedback or criticism you might have to offer.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always go to [hybrid-rain](http://hybrid-rain.tumblr.com/) as always for being an inspirational sounding board and helping me come up with ideas [sporadic-tiger](http://sporadic-tiger.tumblr.com/) for agreeing to be my proofreader and nitpicker, [emirael](http://emirael.tumblr.com/) for helping with the world building, and [frickfractals](http://frickfractals.tumblr.com/), [the-perfect-girl-is-gone](http://the-perfect-girl-is-gone.tumblr.com/), [izzyvonheeringen](http://http://izzyvonheeringen.tumblr.com/), [winterqueenelsaa](http://winterqueenelsaa.tumblr.com/), [patronustrip](http://patronustrip.tumblr.com/), [r9khaileyissuffering](http://r9khaileyissuffering.tumblr.com/), [50shadesofelsanna](http://50shadesofelsanna.tumblr.com/), and [fyeahkristelsanna](http://fyeahkristelsanna.tumblr.com/) for promoting and recommending my fanfics. One thing that is truly amazing is how quickly the aforementioned list is growing. And of course, my readers for your kudos and comments. You guys are the absolute best! :))

In hindsight, it probably wasn’t a brilliant idea to chase a random guy in the streets like she did.  But, in the rush of things, Anna did what she thought was right and that was catching the scumbag who tried to burn down one of their warehouses and endanger the people. Despite the huge head start the arsonist got, she was quickly catching up to him. Then he started to do something very _weird_. He ran towards one of the buildings and began climbing up the window ledges. Undeterred, she climbed up after him. True, she sucked at climbing mountains but climbing windows was easy. She knew all the places to put her feet and hands. Unfortunately it didn’t seem that Evald and Tormond did too.

She pulled herself over the roof and continued her chase as they leaped from rooftop to rooftop. As she ran, she prayed that her feet stayed steady and her clumsiness didn’t flare up now all the while keeping her target in her sight and thinking of ways of ending this chase. Then the arsonist jumped to the streets below and Anna seized her chance. She pounced from the roof and landed on him. While her arms didn’t close around his waist as she had hoped, she still managed to grab his legs and, with a pull, the arsonist fell to the ground. All of her breath was pushed out of her chest and she groaned in pain and shook her head to get rid of the stars in her eyes. However she was still the first to go up to her feet and as the arsonist struggled to stand, she stepped on his back, forcing him back to the ground. Then she unsheathed her sword and hissed, “Don’t even think about it, mister.”

With her left hand she grabbed him by the neck and pulled him up. He tried to writhe his way out of her grip but a knee to the sides put an end to that.

“Who are you?” she demanded. “Why did you try to burn that warehouse?”

He didn’t answer. She supposed she could try beating him to get some answers from him but she didn’t think Elsa would exactly approve of that. Sighing with frustration, she half-dragged, half-marched the arsonist down the road, hoping to find Evald and Tormond…somewhere in here. She couldn’t seem to recall if she has ever been in this part of the city. She was beginning to regret her reckless actions when she saw two City Watch officers. Upon seeing her with her prisoner, they ran towards her.

“Your Highness,” one of them said as his partner took out a pair of handcuffs. “Who is this man?”

“The arsonist who tried to burn down one of the Royal Emergency Shops,” she replied. “I think the City Watch would want to question him.”

“Of course, Your Highness,” the City Watch officer said. Then just as his partner was about to place the handcuffs on the arsonist, the officer took out his sword and swept it across his partner’s throat. Blood erupted from the wound and some of it splashed onto Anna, causing her to shriek as she stumbled back.

“Get out of here,” the officer commanded the arsonist as his partner’s body collapsed to the ground. His voice sounded muted to Anna, almost as if she was hearing him through ears stuffed with cotton. She continued to stagger in shock until she saw him approach her with his sword coated in blood and swung it at her. She pulled her own sword up for a weak but passable parry and the sound of the swords hitting against each other was enough to pull her from her daze.

“Let’s see what the princess can do,” he sneered.

Anna stayed silent. Instead she mentally recited the mantra drilled into her as part of her training: _A sharper focus beats a sharper blade_ , _a sharper focus beats a sharper blade_. She was not going to let this man’s taunts make her lose her concentration. Not helping matters though was the fact that the officer’s sword was a broadsword, significantly heavier than her rapier. She didn’t know how strong her own blade was but she imagined one hit at the wrong place could break it.

He attempted another attack, a downward slash, and while she was more prepared to defend, she was still surprised how fast he was with the heavier sword. She parried, shoved his blade to the side and prepared for a lunge. However she couldn’t decide where her point should land and he batted her sword away from him. As she kept her focus despite his taunts and exchanged parries and swings, she couldn’t help but wonder where everyone was. Surely Evald and Tormond would try to find her. Surely there was another City Watch patrol or a squad of soldiers marching down this road anytime soon. Surely there was at least someone who saw the fighting and went to raise the alarm in concern. But for all matters and purpose, she was alone with the corrupt City Watch officer.

“Come on, princess!” he sneered. “This isn’t some fancy fencing duel done in tournaments and competitions.” And as if to prove his point, he parried her swing and then punched her in the cheek with his basket hilt. Anna staggered a few steps back with a moan, tasting the blood in her mouth. She just barely recovered in time to block his attack. _A sharper focus beats a sharper blade_ , _a sharper focus beats a sharper blade_ , she thought as she tried to gather her senses back. The officer made another attack and she dodged out of the sword’s path, placing herself closer to her opponent. She swept her sword upward and though he too dodged the attack, she still managed to get a shallow cut below his shoulder.

He growled not in pain, Anna thought, but probably in frustration as he savagely swung his sword at her neck level. She quickly ducked, feeling the blade part the air mere inches above her, and stood up only to see him try to punch her again with his left fist. She wasn’t going to have any of that though. Turning her sword downward, she then slashed up, the blade slicing across his extended arm. Had she had a heavier sword like the officer’s broadsword, she might have cut his arm off. As it was, her sword still bit through the heavy coat and left a gash across the arm in its path.

The officer curled in pain but as Anna approached to deliver another blow, he suddenly and wildly swung his sword, slicing through her skirts and across her thigh. It was her turn to cry out again as the fire surged from her leg all the way up her body and towards her head. Again she stepped further back.

“You know what the people say about you in the streets?” he said, ruthlessly pressing his attack despite his injuries. He didn’t seem to care about control or finesse or grace or anything a true swordsman practiced. All he did was just hammer blow after blow against her. And the worst part was that it was working. With every attack, her defence became weaker. One particularly poor attempt at a parry left her with a cut over her left collarbone. It wasn’t particularly long but it was rather deep and her left arm felt numb and limp. An equally weak dodge from his attack left another cut across her back. “They say you’re useless. They say you’re stupid. They say they rather have an unstable witch as queen than a pathetic boring dumb girl like you. They’re _glad_ that you’re just the spare.”

At his words, Anna was at the verge of losing control of herself. She wanted to lash out against him, cut his disgusting tongue out, slit his throat for good measure, and impale the scum of a man with her sword right through the gaping pit he had instead of a heart. Ignoring her injuries and her pain, she struck back, whipping her sword in wild motions that did nothing but make her enemy laugh. _Focus!_ her mind screamed at her. _A sharper focus beats a sharper blade_. But it was only after she slashed weakly one more time did she finally rein her emotions in. By then she felt exhausted and had no strength left to do anything.

The officer snickered as he swished his sword a few times. “Yield,” he demanded.

Anna shook her head furiously, still trying her hardest to summon one last burst of energy. He simply shrugged, swished his sword one last time, and said, “Very well.”

He stepped forward, his sword held high over his left shoulder so that his face was above his right elbow. But just as he brought it down to his right, Anna slipped to her right and stumbled forward to lunge with her sword, hitting the officer in his right shoulder. She then half-twisted, half-pushed her blade an inch or so further until the officer dropped his sword. Only then did she withdraw, watching him fall to his knees. Anna kicked his sword aside, placed hers under his chin, and snarled, “I’m much _more_ than just the spare.”

He coughed out a few drops of blood and said, “No, you’re a bloody moron. That’s what you are. Do you know even know where we are now?”

She looked around and saw that she somehow ended up in a small garden. Far from where she tackled the arsonist and certainly far from where the shop and Kristoff were.

“You’re standing in the property of Lord Gyldenløve. And you’ve just attacked and grievously wounded a servant of Lord Gyldenløve. He will have your head for that, trust me.”

“I’m the princess of Arendelle,” she snapped back. “And I’m standing in the property of my sister, the Queen. And I’ve defended myself from the enemy of the crown.”

“Hah!” he barked. “Not for long, you are.”

“You there! Drop your sword and get down on your knees!” a voice suddenly shouted at her.

Anna looked up and saw five men dressed in black overcoats. Three of them had spears, one of them had a sabre, and the last one had a crossbow aimed at her. She could just surrender. It would be so easy for her body to do exactly that.  Even without her injuries, the effort she put in in her chase of the arsonist and then her duel with the officer has drained her of everything. But she knew what they would do once they had her. They would demand Elsa surrender herself or else Anna would be harmed in some fashion. And Elsa being Elsa would either comply or simply rage through them like a blizzard. And she would push her people further from her. And they would eventually surrender to Hans’ mercenaries who would do what they came here to do.

No way was she going to let that happen.

With a grunt of pain, Anna sheathed her sword, turned around, and ran as fast as her tired muscles would let her. She heard the crossbowman pull the trigger and instinctively ducked as the bolt flew past her head. Then she continued to run as Lord Gyldenløve’s guards chased her. She knew she could climb up to the rooftops and escape that way. But with her left arm flopping uselessly at her side and the cut on her thigh slowly oozing blood, there was no more thrilling fancy running moves from her today.

Then she landed on her left foot wrong which made the wound feel a thousand times worse. Grinding her teeth hard, she managed to silence the cry of pain that was just trying to burst from her mouth. But she couldn’t get any faster than a clumsy limp. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the five men have caught up with her. Resigned to her fate but determined not to go down without a fight, she turned around, unsheathed her sword, and waited for them to attack.

Suddenly she felt the air around her go cold and a small spray of snow hit her across the cheek. All five of the lord’s men turned to their left in shock and Anna felt compelled to see what they were just looking at.

Her sister had come, riding a magnificent white horse with Olaf in her lap. Behind her there was an icy bridge stood above the buildings in the city. There was worry and fury in Elsa’s face and as her horse neighed and tossed his head, she commanded, “Get away from my sister.”

Either the men were incredibly brave or just stupid because their leader said, “Get her. Get them both.”

The two of the spearmen approached Elsa while the third went for Anna. But all three of them only managed a step each before Elsa lazily waved her hand and encased their feet in ice on the road. The crossbowmen raised his weapon and pulled the trigger but a blast of ice froze the bolt and his hands to the crossbow. Cursing, the officer charged at Elsa, only to slip on a sheet of ice and hit his head with an audible crack. Smiling at her sister’s awesomeness despite her pain, Anna limped towards her as quickly as she could. With Elsa’s and Olaf’s help, she managed to climb on the horse and settled into the space between them. While the cut on her thigh and shoulder stopped bleeding, they still hurt and when she sat on the horse, a sharp jolt of pain went up her body.

As the horse began to gallop on the icy bridge, the little snowman immediately turned his torso and head towards her and cried, “Anna! Oh god, I’m so so so happy you’re okay. I thought we would be too late.” He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his face into her chest.

“Me, too,” Anna said, placing her head on top of his. “Me, too.” She moaned as she felt herself slowly drift away into unconsciousness.

“Hang in there, Anna,” cried Elsa. “We’ll be home soon. Just hang on.”

“Stay with us, Anna,” Olaf added. “We got you…”

Anna gave a soft smile and said, “I will, guys. I will…” Throughout the entire ride, Olaf never let go of Anna and Elsa always kept one hand wrapped tightly around Anna’s. 

*             *             *

“We have finished cataloguing the remains of the Nordstra shop, Your Majesty,” Secretary Hovland reported. “We have lost three weeks of supplies for the district. We are able to redistribute the resources so the overall loss will be closer to around ten days if we stay with the current rationing plan.”

“Would that still be possible?” Elsa asked, taking the paper that he had slid across her desk and placing it to the side.

“Master Engelstad believes so,” he said. “He thought that it was important to not change the rationing plan for morale reasons.”

“Well, he’s not exactly wrong,” she said. “What of Lord Gyldenløve?” She found out that the lord who ordered the attack on Anna was the most outspoken member of Lord Lindahl’s party four days ago and immediately ordered his arrest.

“We attempted to arrest Lord Gyldenløve for conspiracy to assassinate the princess and treason last night,” the Home Secretary replied. “But when we arrived, we discovered he had fled the city with at least a dozen men.”

“How?” she demanded, gripping the edge of her desk and watching as frost trickled from her fingers and across the surface.

Secretary Hovland glanced anxiously at the forming ice and hastily said, “It seems that he has considerable influence over a few key members of the military.”

Elsa _just_ barely stopped herself from snorting in disgust. “First the City Watch, now the military,” she said. “I want you to do a thorough house cleaning, Secretary Hovland. I expect the Lord Commander to do the same. I will not tolerate corruption or disloyalty among the men and women sworn to defend my people. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” he said.

“Do you have any good news for me?” she asked, lifting her hands from the desk. The frost still remained.

“Yes, I do. We’ve arrested the man who attacked Her Highness and he confessed to being planted in the City Watch as an agent for Lord Gyldenløve. However he had no knowledge of the arson.”

“So the arson and the attempted assassination are two separate incidents,” Elsa concluded. “I confess, Secretary Hovland, I’m finding this very hard to believe. That the arsonist flees towards the estates of a noble who is less than pleased with me and with a few members of both the City Watch and the military in his pockets. And one of his agents _just_ happened to come across my sister as she tried to restrain the arsonist.”

“Stranger things have happened before, Your Majesty.”

“There is strange and there is…incredibly improbable.” She sighed and continued, “Whatever, if this is indeed the sequence of events as it happened, then so be it. Now to prevent something like this from happening again.” She pressed her fist against her lips as she contemplated her choices. They weren’t going to be pleasant ones, she knew that for sure. “I want a curfew established from ten o’clock in the evening to six in the morning. No one is to be out on the streets except trusted officers and soldiers. I’ll leave you to decide who best suits that criteria in your department.”

“Very good, Your Majesty,” he said, scribbling her commands down on a notepad he produced from his pocket.

“Have the royal hawks returned from their trips yet?”

“They have, Your Majesty.”

“Good. Then henceforth, only royal messenger birds are allowed. Any other birds are to be intercepted or shot down.”

The Home Secretary simply nodded as he wrote.

“Thirdly, I’m allowing warrantless entries from either the City Watch, the military, or Julia’s operatives. Simply remind all of them that they are not to abuse this luxury and that all entries must have my approval or it will be considered as an act of disloyalty and punished accordingly.

“And lastly…I am disbanding _habeas corpus_ until this siege has ended. I am to be personally informed of the cause but once I’ve agreed the cause of detention is reasonable, then it is given cause regardless of what the detainee may say. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Good, you may be dismissed,” she said.

Secretary Hovland stood up, bowed from the waist, and said, “Your Majesty.”

Elsa waited until the door closed behind him before she exhaled the heavy sigh that had been building up since she began her destruction of personal liberty in Arendelle. She had no idea if this was the right decision but it felt like the right one of all the choices she had. She knew what the people would say once they found out they couldn’t send mail through birds or couldn’t stay outside after hours or could have their homes entered with no warning or even thrown in the dungeon. But between the arson, yet another attack on her sister, and Lord Gyldenløve’s treachery, she had to keep her people safe during this crisis.

 _Or is it Anna you want to keep safe?_ a voice asked her. She had sat by her bedside and watched as her sister received the sutures for her wounds. Held her hand and winced with her as the needle pierced her skin. That was the price of her lack of vigilance and what some parts of her called her lenience. Elsa wondered if she made a mistake letting the _Ordo Malleus_ go on as long as they had. Or letting Hans live when she could have crushed him like an ant. Or letting the discontented lords fester and spread their influence. Or letting the people question her right to rule as their queen. After seeing Anna in bed from her wounds, Elsa knew she had to be harsh and merciless to correct her mistakes. And she could be. She could be the Ice Queen everyone, in one fashion or another, feared her to be. Everyone…including Papa.

She looked at the portrait of her father that hung opposite of her. For the longest time ever she could never figure what the expression he had on. Most of the time, she thought he just didn’t have an expression at all. But then sometimes when she had lost control of her magic, she imagined he was disappointed in her. When she first realised she had developed intimate feelings for Anna, she pictured he was staring at her with disapproval but as their relationship blossomed, his expression warmed. The first time she thought he ever looked approving was when she brought an end to the winter she caused, was reunited with her beloved sister, and finally controlled the magic that had plagued their family for so long. Today though he seemed a little afraid to her, as if behind his stoic mask, he could see the monster she had stirring inside her.

“Your Majesty?” called a guard outside her study.

Jerked from her thoughts, Elsa jumped an inch from her chair. “Yes? What is it?” she asked, her voice an octave higher than normal.

“Mistress Julia to see you, Your Majesty,” she replied.

“Send her in, please,” she called back.

Seconds later, the door opened and Julia walked in and curtseyed.

“Your Majesty,” she greeted as the door was shut behind her. “How is your sister doing?”

“She’s resting now,” Elsa calmly replied. It could be the paranoia and the fear but she wasn’t exactly overly fond of her spymaster asking after Anna.

“I know you’re eager to see her so I’ll do my best to keep what I have to say brief,” Julia said, taking a seat in front of her. “Firstly, a list of potential City Watch officers and military personnel that have conflicting loyalties. These have also been given to the Home Secretary and the Lord Commander.” She withdrew a mercifully thin pile of paper from her portfolio.

“This list wouldn’t include your own little seeds, would it?” Elsa asked, accepting the pile from her and gaining a smirk from the spymaster.

“While they do report to and serve me, their loyalty as well as mine lies in you, Your Majesty.”

Elsa smirked back at her, not the playful ones she gave to Anna and only Anna but a gloating one. “I’ll say this much, Julia,” she said. “You’re rather quick. I only gave Secretary Hovland the order to clean his department minutes ago.”

For some reason, Julia sounded a bit hesitant as she said, “Forgive…me, Your Majesty, but I assumed you wanted to purge the dissidents among the City Watch and the military quite some time ago so I took the liberty to root them out for you.”

Elsa glared at her. “And am I to assume you’ve done the same with your people?” she asked.

“Well, yes,” Julia confessed. “I was forced to do a little…pruning.”

“I’m surprised to hear that you have the same problem,” Elsa said, leaning back into her chair.

“All gardens have weeds, Your Majesty. It’s up to the gardener to cull them before they spread.”

“Well, the next time you cull your weeds, do me the courtesy of informing me first.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty.”

“What else?”

“My plants in the banks have returned to me. With the help of the letter of credit the falcon retrieved for us, we have managed to identify all five of the Duke of Weselton’s accounts, two held in his name and three held in aliases. Well, what’s left of them.”

“Depleted his accounts for this endeavour?” asked Elsa.

“That and he’s been paying the price for the trade agreement between you and the King of Holstein. They say that he has less than five hundred ducats left. They have also given me a very detailed list of his transactions.” Julia took out a thicker pile of paper and handed it to Elsa.

Elsa slipped her glasses on and read down the list, noting the amount of money the Duke was pouring into his revenge. Or rather his conjoined revenge with Hans.

“Two hundred twenty-five thousand ducats to the Oderverk Shipyard in Stettin, a combined sum of one thousand five hundred to the former Mr Rubik and company, thirty thousand to Mr Wattman of the Wild Band of Men…” she recited. “At last, evidence that the Duke of Weselton, at the very least, is involved in the siege of my kingdom. But we still don’t have any proof that he’s working with Hans.”

Julia shook her head.

“Do you know how long one could keep the Wild Band of Men for thirty thousand ducats?” Elsa asked, drumming her fingers on the frost.

“Six weeks,” she replied. “Which means…”

“If they’re paying the rest of the mercenaries for the same duration, then they will leave before our supplies have depleted,” she finished, feeling a little joy for the first time in a long time. “Get word of this to the Home Secretary and have the news spread throughout the city.” Then a sudden thought came to her and crushed that small burst of elation. “Unless…”

“Unless what, Your Majesty?”

“They find alternative means of paying them. What options do you imagine they have?”

Julia looked up for a minute in reflection and then answered, “Borrow money from either the Swiss or the Italian banks, appeal to sympathetic lords or nations for funds. The Duke could raise a few hundred ducats if he puts a new tax of some sort. But in my opinion, those seem rather unlikely.”

“Perhaps…perhaps not…” she muttered, scanning the list for any deposits in the Duke’s accounts and finding none from the last two weeks. “I would like weekly reports on his financial activity.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Then she added, “Would you like to take any further action against the Duke?”

“Further action?” Elsa repeated slowly.

“I could arrange for his permanent removal, if you like. Both the Lord Commander’s scouts and my own spies have reported both his bodyguards are here so he is rather vulnerable. The letter of credit with the Duke’s seal and signature is proof enough should anyone deem our actions too harsh.”

Elsa frowned as she contemplated that action. Having the Duke killed would not stop the siege since the mercenaries have already been paid for six weeks of service but it would stop them from receiving any further payment. But only from the Duke himself.

“How well does the Duke get along with his people?” she asked as she devoted a great portion of her mind to continue thinking what to do with him.

“General consensus is he is neither beloved nor detested. His recent fiasco here has undermined his popularity somewhat and I doubt that anyone would be terribly upset over his passing. He is childless so the duchy would pass to his cousin who, as I understand, has no particular love for him. However, he is both wealthy and simple-minded. More than the Duke, if you can believe it.”

“So he could be easily persuaded into continuing his cousin’s work,” concluded Elsa. “And the King of Holstein might consider continuing the siege even if he was not fond of the Duke. Proof or no proof, he is not going to take the assassination of one of his subjects lightly especially if he has a chance of subduing us. No, I don’t want you to kill him. Besides the Duke’s death would introduce new players into this game and this is far too complicated already.”

Of course, the real reason why she didn’t want the Duke killed was actually staring at her behind Julia.

 “That does not mean I do not expect him to answer for his crimes,” she clarified. “When this siege is over, I will be seeking justice from him one way or another. If I have to personally lead an attack on Weselton, that is what I will do.” She just wasn’t entirely sure whom she was saying this to: Julia or herself.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Julia said. “Anything else?”

“Yes… I want you to plant whatever seeds you have left into the nobles most likely to defect.”

“I’ll try my best, Your Majesty. But I cannot guarantee I’ll be successful. They will likely have taken measures to hinder me.”

“Just do what you can.”

“Very well. If there is nothing else, I’ll leave to handle my affairs and you to yours.”

Elsa nodded and watched as her spymaster rose from her seat.

“Please send your sister my deepest wishes for a speedy recovery,” she said before curtseying and leaving her study.

Elsa quickly gathered the papers to the side before she too left her study for their bedroom. The palace was positively teeming with guards now. Not including the six guards trailing every step she took, there was a pair almost every dozen yards, more in the lower public areas. On top of that, she was more than confident Julia had succeeded in replacing almost the entire household staff with or recruiting them into her own seeds.

When she arrived, she found Anna’s pair of guards on either side of the door, both of whom immediately bowed upon seeing her.

“Your Majesty,” they both chorused before one of them said, “We wish to apologise once more for failing to fulfil our duties to the princess in her time of need.”

“And once more, I accept your apologies and forgive you both,” Elsa replied. When she returned to the palace with Anna and Olaf, she found out that when the guards lost sight of Anna, they had gone to the nearest City Watch station to gather a search party. They did everything they were supposed to do yet they still thought they had failed the princess through no fault of their own. Ultimately it was Anna who convinced them that they had not failed and told them that she would be sad to see them go.

The two guards opened the door into their bedroom whereupon Elsa saw Kristoff and Olaf gathered around Anna who was sitting on her bed and merrily chatting with them. But when she heard the door open, she looked up and beamed with a radiant smile.

“Elsa!” she exclaimed.

“Anna,” Elsa greeted, walking towards the bed. Both Kristoff and Olaf scooted out of the way so the two sisters could share a hug, Elsa taking great care to avoid aggravating Anna’s injuries. When they pulled apart, Elsa sat down next to her and asked, “How do you feel?”

“Fine, I guess,” Anna said. “Actually I’m really bored. It sucks just sitting here in bed with nothing to do.”

“Don’t worry, Anna!” Olaf cried gleefully. “I’ll make you sure you don’t get too bored.”

“And you’ll do a great job, I’m sure,” Elsa said, patting the snowman on the head. Olaf pulled his shoulders together and chuckled to himself. Looking back to her sister, she said, “Has Dr Tollesen seen you yet?”

“Yeah! Like just an hour ago or so. He looked at my stitches, checked to see if they were infected, and asked me to move my arms and legs a little bit. He said it’ll be a couple more days before I should be moving about. But he said absolutely no fighting for at least a week.” She added a little pout at the last sentence.

“Well, I’m glad to see you’re doing well, Anna. We were all worried sick about you when you ran off like that.”

“I know and I’m sorry. I know I should have waited and…”

“Hey,” Elsa said, gently cutting her off and holding her hand. “It’s okay. You got back here safely and that’s all that matters.”

“Did we end up getting the guy? The arsonist?” Anna asked.

Elsa sighed and felt herself sink deeper into the bed. “No, we couldn’t find him. But we did arrest the corrupt officer, thanks to you.”

“And the lord he was working for? Did we get him too?”

Elsa shook her head. She could tell that Anna really wanted her efforts to be worth something and knowing that the two main perpetrators have escaped justice must be upsetting. 

“It’s okay, Anna,” she said, squeezing her hand. Olaf placed a hand on Anna’s opposite shoulder. “We know who the lord is and who he’s friends with. Julia has her people watching them now. You helped us prepare for the next betrayal.”

“Next betrayal?” Kristoff repeated. “Do you think the other nobles will join Hans and his mercenaries?”

“More bad men?” asked Olaf nervously. “You mean besides that one group and Hans? How many of them are there, Elsa?”

“A lot,” Elsa answered sadly. “I think there’s a group of noblemen who want me out of the throne.”

“They don’t like you’re the queen? But why?”

 _Like I knew the answer to that_ , she thought mirthlessly. “I don’t know…maybe one of them is still upset that I refused to marry him.”

“Of course he can’t marry you,” exclaimed the snowman. “You’re in love with Anna!”

“Olaf!” shrieked Anna as Elsa’s jaw dropped at his outburst and he immediately covered his mouth with his hands and murmured repeatedly, “Oh, I’m sorry, Elsa. I’m sorry, Anna…”

The three of them looked nervously at Kristoff and watched with bated breaths for his reaction. Elsa probably knew Kristoff the least compared to Anna or Olaf but she knew him to be a selfless man who practiced the virtues of kindness and gentleness far better than most “gentlemen” she knew. But she also knew that this revelation would be a bitter medicine to swallow especially since Anna had to break up with him to purse her own relationship with her sister. 

But after opening his eyes in shock for a brief minute, the ice harvester shrugged his shoulders and sighed. “Well…” he finally said. “I can’t say it wasn’t a total surprise. I mean, you’re sisters. Shouldn’t…I mean…isn’t that a little…”

“Weird?” finished Olaf.

“Well, yeah, but I guess when the queen has awesome magical ice powers and you’re best friends with a talking snowman…weird kinda takes a new meaning.”

After a few minutes of silence, Anna said, “I meant to tell you this earlier but…you know everything that’s been going on… And after, you know, talking to Elsa about it.”

“I’m…I’m still trying to wrap my head around it…” Kristoff confessed. “There’s one thing I want to make sure though.”

Elsa and Anna exchanged glances before turning their eyes back to Kristoff.

“Anna, does Elsa make you happy?” he asked.

“Yes!” squeaked Anna, flinging her right arm around Elsa’s shoulders and pulling her close. Elsa leaned close to Anna and rested her head on her shoulder.

“Then that is all that matters,” Kristoff said with a sigh.

It would take some time but Elsa could tell Kristoff would eventually accept their relationship.

Anna smiled at him and with her other arm, brought Kristoff in for a hug. Naturally Olaf wanted to join in the fun and squeezed his way between Elsa and Kristoff to wrap his arms around them.

“Hey,” Anna said, her head resting on her sister’s shoulder. “You know, I’m glad we’re all here together.”

Elsa couldn’t agree with her anymore. She was with family here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I'll be the first to say I have no clue what kind of swords they would use in Arendelle so I'm going to say it's a mixed bag. There's a definite direction towards broadswords, rapiers, and the like but some of them like Hans prefer the bastard swords and larger swords for various reasons. 
> 
> Yes, Anna can do parkour. Because she's awesome, that's why.
> 
> Once again, thank you for reading and I welcome any and all feedback or criticism you might have to offer.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly I want to apologise for the delay in updates. This chapter proved more difficult to write than I thought, nonetheless because I was also entangled with exams and finals. But it's finally here and I thank all of your for your patience.
> 
> Thanks as always go to [jaspurrrr](http://jaspurrrr.tumblr.com//) as always for being an inspirational sounding board and helping me come up with ideas [sporadic-tiger](http://sporadic-tiger.tumblr.com/) for agreeing to be my proofreader and nitpicker, [emirael](http://emirael.tumblr.com/) for helping with the world building, and [frickfractals](http://frickfractals.tumblr.com/), [the-perfect-girl-is-gone](http://the-perfect-girl-is-gone.tumblr.com/), [izzyvonheeringen](http://izzyvonheeringen.tumblr.com/), [winterqueenelsaa](http://winterqueenelsaa.tumblr.com/), [patronustrip](http://patronustrip.tumblr.com/), [elsauna](http://elsauna.tumblr.com//), [50shadesofelsanna](http://50shadesofelsanna.tumblr.com/), and [fyeahkristelsanna](http://fyeahkristelsanna.tumblr.com/) for promoting and recommending my fanfics. One thing that is truly amazing is how quickly the aforementioned list is growing. And of course, my readers for your kudos and comments. You guys are the absolute best! :))

“Riders approaching!” the sentry cried from outside Hans’ makeshift study.

He looked up from the collections of maps he had gathered and quickly grabbed his bastard sword. Upon leaving the mayoress’s house, he joined the rush of mercenaries as they gathered at the village boundaries where a row of archers and pikemen greeted the riders.

“That’s close enough!” shouted Mr Bolvangar, his voice lightly coated with an accent. “Identify yourselves!”

“Lord Lars of House Gyldenløve,” one of them replied. “We’re here to pledge ourselves to the leader of this brigade.”

Then Mr Bolvangar did the dumbest thing he could possibly do in this situation. He turned and looked at Hans in the midst of his men, swiftly marking _him_ as the man in charge. If his men hadn’t come so highly recommended, Hans would be tempted to cleave his head in. With little choice, Hans shouldered his way towards the riders.

“I’m Hans, formerly of House Westerguard, the exiled Prince of the Southern Isles,” he said as soon as he came out into the open. Each time he had to introduce himself like that, a piece of him withered inside him and died. He couldn’t wait until he had Arendelle in his hands to deliver to his father.

“Prince Hans?” Lord Gyldenløve repeated in shock. “The queen has named you as the leader of her enemies but there are few who believe it to be true.”

“That was by design, my lord,” Hans said. “I had a suspicion my name was not well-received in Arendelle so I chose to work in the shadows. Have circumstances in the city changed?”

“They have, my prince,” he said. “May we talk in private?”

Hans thought about it for a second and gave a curt nod. The lord dismounted from his horse and threw the reins towards Mr Bolvangar. The mercenary captain in turn gave a few short orders in their own language. Most of the soldiers melted away to go back to their own affairs, leaving a handful to guard the ten or so riders. Meanwhile Hans led the lord into the mayoress’s house and gestured a chair for him to sit in the small parlour.

“I would offer you a drink, my lord,” he said, taking a seat for himself. “But the previous occupant didn’t have anything worthy of a noble guest such as yourself.”

“No need to apologise, my lord,” Lord Gyldenløve said. “I would be highly surprised if you found anything here suited for our tastes.”

“Quite. Now what do you have to tell me and why did you defect on your queen?”

“The queen has unjustly ordered my arrest after her sister attacked one of my men on my property. She severely wounded him and would have finished him had my guards not intervened. Then she ran like the cowardly fool she was.”

“Fool she may be, your man must be more foolish to allow her to humiliate his master like this.”

Lord Gyldenløve’s eyebrows flared up as he said, “I come here, fleeing for my life. And you find amusement in my predicament?!”

“Consider mine, Lord Gyldenløve. I have, before me, a noble who just betrayed his queen. He offers me, his former queen’s adversary, loyalty and information. He already knows my plans for the kingdom and my desires and if I should remain victorious, he would undoubtedly want to occupy the same position as he did with my predecessor, if not higher. But then what would this noble do if a similar situation arises in the future? Can you understand why I’m reluctant to trust you?”

Though he frowned and gripped the armrests of his chair, the lord said with a resignation in his voice, “I see your point. But, please, allow me to prove my loyalty to you. Ask me of any questions and if it is within my knowledge, I shall answer them.”

Hans had some doubts about the lord’s knowledge but nevertheless persisted. “Very well. Were you given something to give me?”

“Yes!” Lord Gyldenløve said, his hazel eyes lighting up. He dug through his coat pocket, took out a sealed envelope, and handed it to him. Hans took a brief look at the featureless wax seal and was pleased to see that at least someone working for him had some brains.

Pocketing the letter for future review, he continued his interrogation, “How popular is the Snow Queen now?”

“She has her supporters but they are growing fewer and fewer each day.”

“Who are they?”

“Her sister, obviously. Even if they’re not sleeping with each other, they are obviously close. The Sami peasant the princess has taken for her lover as well. Lord Trym of House Myhre has openly proclaimed his loyalty to her but the rest of the court can be relied to support the victor. Whoever that might be.”

“As to be expected,” Hans said. Lord Gyldenløve nodded with apparent approval. “And her opponents? Who are they?”

“The _Ordo Malleus_ , obviously. The bishop has made no secret that the kingdom is blessed to receive your army. Lord Lindahl is the main proponent of the opposition against the queen. You should seek him out for support.”

“If he’s the main leader of opposing the queen, then it means he’ll be the most heavily watched by her spies,” Hans rebuked, wondering if the Snow Queen had taken all the keen subtle minds in Arendelle.

“Of course,” he muttered.

“Who else? Any of the merchants? The common people? What of them?”

“What about them?” Lord Gyldenløve asked bewilderedly.

“Do any of them particularly dislike or resent the queen or do they blindly support her?” Hans asked, trying his utmost best to suppress his irritation. “You can’t hope to hold a kingdom unless you either have the fear or the love of its subjects. Of every class.”

Lord Gyldenløve continued to look at him in confusion as if the idea that the working or the middle class could influence politics was a ridiculous notion.

 “Never mind,” he said, deciding that it would be rude to sigh in exasperation. “Finally, your finances. What do they look like?”

“Why do you want to know?” the lord asked. For the first time in the conversation, Hans noted that the lord shuffled into a more defensive position in his seat.

“Because I may rely on them for further continuation of my efforts here,” he replied. “My principal financial backer has restricted how much I’m able to spend and it seems like that leash is shorter than I thought.”

“I see… Well the majority of my money are in Norges Brannkasse. I brought my letters of credit with me as well as a few hundred ducats. But I do not plan to just donate them to your cause.”

Hans expected as much. This was how the world operated. _Quid pro quo_. “What do you want?” he asked.

“I want a Council position.”

Hans kept a blank face but in his head, he was raising his eyebrows to the ceiling. Lord Gyldenløve was one of the last people he would want serving him. Not only that but he was doubtful that there would be a Council in his reign.

“Of course, I shall see where you will of the best service…” he began.

“No, not in this frozen wasteland. In the Southern Isles. Either a Council position with a good salary or a substantial estate with accompanying retinue and income.”

That would be even more difficult. Lord Gyldenløve could have the estate he once held in the Southern Isles if Hans couldn’t find him one but he doubted his father would let someone like him into his Council nor did he think Frederik could be persuaded into taking him on.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Hans said. “The estate I believe I will be able to grant you when I return home from here. The Council position is less certain.”

He simply shrugged and said, “As long as I get what I want. In addition to my money and information, what else do you want?”

Hans reflected on the question for a brief second. “Nothing that I can seem to recall. If something comes up, I shall let you know. In the meanwhile, I will see about vacating one of the more comfortable houses here for you.”

“I appreciate that,” Lord Gyldenløve said as they both stood up. They both shook hands and then the lord took a swift bow and saw himself out, leaving Hans alone in his appropriated house.

He immediately went back to his study, tore open the wax seal, and read the letter inside.

_Hans,_

_I pray the messenger’s loyalty will be proven by this action and my trust in him was not misplaced. I was only informed of his actions at the very last minute and thus had no time to prepare for a better method of delivery._

_You may be reassured that no help can be expected from the_ Queen’s _allies. Corona has been summoned to support the Prussian Empire in their war with the Russians. Similarly the British Empire, and DunBroch with it, are engaged in Africa to press their interests there. Berk is currently engaged in yet another battle with enemies beyond our concern. The other empires have made it clear that they have no interest in the affairs of Arendelle with more significant events occurring in the world. Arendelle is quite alone in this war._

_However, the same cannot be said of the Queen. She currently has the support of both her Lord Commander and her Spymaster and with them, the military and the intelligence. The Home Secretary is less certain but I have my doubts in swaying his support to our cause without a clear benefit for him. If you were to launch a successful attack against the city, however, he might be more willing to join us._

_You still have forces in the city loyal to you.  Or at least disloyal to the Queen. I know that is not ideal but you understand that this is the best we can hope for under these circumstances. The_ Ordo Malleus _has preached daily against her and encouraged opening the gates to you but I would not trust the people take their sermons to heart. The nobles continue to be disgruntled with how she has handled this situation we have created and their resentment will only grow. The Queen has so far been hesitant to take action against treachery for fear of upsetting the people and driving them away from her. But after the attack on her sister, she may revise that position. Right now there hasn’t been a Council meeting in days and I fear she has taken to private meetings. Lord Lindahl suspects that the Queen will continue to give herself more power and is planning to openly speak out against it. With force, if necessary._

_However neither he nor any of his compatriots have disclosed to me who they have bought in the City Watch and the military. What I do know is that recently several bought members of the Spymaster’s forces have ceased communicating with them. We can assume that not only has she successfully found and disposed of them, but she has made efforts to locate disloyalty in the other branches. Therefore I continue to reiterate that you must strike soon before you find yourself with no friends inside the city._

_May you find this letter more informative than the last and may we triumph over our adversary._

_Your humble servant_

When he finished, Hans folded the letter and held it over an open candle. When it burned itself out, he brushed the ashes off the table as he considered his next move. Fritz continued to remind him that the mercenaries were getting restless and perhaps he had overestimated their patience and their fondness of sieges. Still he doubted they were eager to fling themselves against the Snow Queen’s walls and archers with no apparent goal in mind.

He looked back at the maps, wishing, not for the first time since he started, that he had Valdemar’s keen military mind. If he was to make a successful assault, he needed all of his forces, both inside and outside of Arendelle. He could press the attack on all sides while using the people loyal to him to launch a revolt as a distraction. The Snow Queen was powerful but she couldn’t be everywhere at once and her own forces could only spread out so much before they were overwhelmed. But how to coordinate… He couldn’t send a messenger bird to those sympathetic to him in case it was intercepted by the Queen. Mice would be more subtle but he was aware of how successful those had been. He could simply launch his attack and hope that the cult and the nobles would seize the opportunity but he trusted more in animals than he did in people. 

 _Maybe he isn’t that smart after all_ , he thought begrudgingly. _Maybe everyone’s working with me is a simpleton_.

There was a knock against his door and Hans had half a mind to tell the person to leave. Instead he called, “What is it?”

“My lord Hans,” Fritz’s voice came through the door. “A messenger from one of the icebreakers has arrived. They’ve reached as far as they can go.”

“What do you mean?” Hans called back. “Did they get stuck?”

“No, my lord. The captain said that any closer and they’ll be in range of their archers.”

“And how does he know that?”

“He got an arrow in the shoulder. He’s worried that they would try to throw fire at us next.”

 _Fire!_ _That was it!_ he thought triumphantly. That was how he could breach the icy wall. Sure it would be costly but he had already given so much to this mission of his that it seemed inconsequential to the grand scheme of things.

“My lord?” Fritz asked cautiously from behind the door.

“Get all the mercenary captains and your brother here. And have food and water brought up here. We’re going to be here for quite some time.”

*             *             *

“Should you really be trying to get up?” Kristoff asked anxiously, looking at Anna as she gingerly pulled herself up from the bed.

“Sure,” she said, feeling her muscles slowly groan after days of little use. “If I stay in this room any longer without moving, I think I’ll go insane. Plus Dr Tollesan removed the stitches this morning. Said he’d never seen anyone recover as quickly as me.”

While Anna was rather pleased that neither her wounds nor the sutures would leave any marks, she wouldn’t have minded a scar as a remainder of her first victory in a proper sword duel. Her wound on her thigh healed well enough and she didn’t feel any stiffness or soreness from there. But the one on her collarbone still ached if she moved it in the wrong way. Those thoughts quickly went away as she placed her feet on the floor and slowly stood up.

Her legs shook a little bit and she felt herself waver a little as she stood, causing both Kristoff and Olaf to step towards her with outstretched arms. But she soon regained her balance and to her delight, her feet felt comfortable holding her body up. Then she took her first steps for nearly four days and found walking was no longer a problem. What was still a problem was her shoulder. She tried rotating her shoulder but she felt a little more resistance than what she thought was normal.

“How do you feel?” Kristoff and Olaf asked at the same time.

Anna gave a huge sigh and smiled at them. “Fantastic!” she said. And as if the moment couldn’t be any better, the door opened and in came her sister.

“Elsa!” she cried, running towards her with opened arms.

 Elsa caught her sister instinctively, staggering a few steps back, wrapped her arms around her, and squeezed gently. Anna pecked her in the cheek and was rewarded with a similar kiss on her own.

“Anna,” she greeted before looking at her. “Should you really be on your feet?”

“That’s what we tried to telling her,” Kristoff said.  “But you know how she is. She could only stay in bed for so long. And well, she says she’s fine.”

“I _am_ fine,” Anna corrected. “See, Elsa?”

“Yes, yes,” Elsa said hastily. “But what did Dr Tollesan say?” 

“He said if I was feeling up for walking, I should go ahead and try it.”

Thankfully Elsa did not notice the scepticism creeping up on Kristoff’s face. Anna made a mental reminder to get back at him for his lack of faith.

“Well,” Elsa sighed. “I’m glad to see you’re better, Anna.”

“Me too,” Anna said cheerfully. She looked at her sister with utter bliss and contentment in her eyes but her happiness slowly drained away when she noticed that Elsa did not return her gaze. In fact her eyes slowly drifted away from her, causing her to slowly grow suspicious of what was on her sister’s mind.

Then Elsa said, “There’s something I need to tell you.”

Her suspicions growing stronger, Anna asked as innocently as possible, “What is it, Elsa?”

Instead of responding, however, Elsa turned around and said, “Kristoff, Olaf, could you please leave us?”

Kristoff nodded and simply said, “Anna, Elsa.”

Then he left the room, followed by Olaf who gave them a fearful look before he waddled out. _Whatever Elsa wanted to talk about, it better be worth scaring our little snowman,_ Anna thought. She turned her gaze back at Elsa and, to her fury, saw that while her sister was looking at her direction, she wasn’t looking _at_ her. But she wasn’t angry enough to demand again, instead waiting for her to speak first.

“I’m…I’m sending you away,” she finally said after a few minutes of silence. “To Corona. To Cousin Rapunzel.”

“Wait, what?!” exclaimed Anna but Elsa continued as if she didn’t hear her.

“Olaf, Kristoff, Kai, and your two guards will go with you along with another pair of guards. At night, you’ll sneak out the city walls and past enemy lines to the south-eastern coast where you’ll find the crew from one of our patrol ships. From there, they’ll take you to Corona where you will stay until this siege is over.”

“Elsa, _stop_!” she cried, grinding her right foot against the carpet.  Either Elsa said what she needed to say or she actually listened because she fell silent. However she still was not looking at her.

“Let’s get one thing straight,” she continued. “No one is going anywhere.”

“Anna, don’t be ridiculous,” Elsa said, with a heave of her shoulders and exasperation in her voice. “Of course you are.”

“Why? Do you think I can’t handle myself here?”

Elsa scoffed. “I know you can but that’s not the point. You’ve been attacked _twice_ in the last three weeks. I’m not counting on luck to save you from a third.”

 _How…dare she?!_ she thought furiously. Despite what her sister said, Anna couldn’t believe Elsa didn’t trust her to take care of herself. _Really_ trust her. Okay, she was right about her being attacked but no one could have predicted the _Soliuan_ incident and she was outnumbered by Lord Gyldenløve’s men _after_ she ran half across the city and fought in a duel against a corrupt City Watch officer. Those were hardly her fault. Anna knew that and she knew that her stinker of a sister knew that as well.

“And do you think by sending me away, I’ll be safe? Remember the last time we had family sail to Corona?” She spat the words faster than her mind could process what she just said and even she was surprised by them.

Bringing them up was a cruel move and Anna knew it. And judging by the way Elsa flinched, she knew that she definitely hit a mark in her sister. But instead lashing back at her, she just stared at the ground. And although her face didn’t show much of her emotions, it showed enough for Anna to see the weight of her duties crushing her beloved sister. And immediately she felt regret.

“Elsa…” Anna said. “I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring them up like that. And I shouldn’t have. That was cruel and wrong and I’m a horrible person to say that to you.”

Elsa shook her head gently and Anna could hear her mutter, “No, you’re not.”

Anna took some time to gather her thoughts and plan her next words carefully. Her heart told her that she didn’t want to leave Elsa behind. They’ve been separated for thirteen years. She wasn’t going to let anything, not even this siege, break them apart again. But she could guess why Elsa wanted her to leave. Anna was a distraction. Oh her sister would never say that but that was who her sister was. Silently suffering the burdens for the happiness of others. But by staying in Arendelle, Anna was forcing her sister to divide her attention between her people and her sister. Yet she had a feeling there was a part deep inside Elsa that wanted her sister with her. A part that was covered by her fears and concerns. But if Anna could reach out to it, she might be able to help her sister realise what they both truly wanted.

“If you think I’ll be safe away from you and in Corona, if that is what you honestly think, tell me. And I will go. Because you’re my sister and I love you and I will respect what you say. If you truly believe I’m not safe next to you, then look at me and say it.”

For several long minutes, Elsa stood there, looking away from her. Then Anna saw her legs shake and her hands ball up into fists. She squeezed her eyes closed and moaned, “I _can’t_...”

“It’s okay, Elsa,” Anna said, slowly approaching her. “Just…just say what you want to say. What you truly want to say.”

There was an even longer silence and as the minutes dragged on, Anna was tempted to say something but she overcame her impatience and waited. And finally, Elsa said, “I…I…I want you with me.”

Anna sighed in relief and allowed some of the tears she had been holding to fall. But now that she was going to stay in Arendelle with her, she knew she had to make extra sure to take care of herself in fighting. If she allowed herself to be injured again or, God forbid, _killed_ , she knew that Elsa would blame herself and just tear herself to pieces with guilt. But she wasn’t going to let that happen. She had to prove herself of Elsa’s trust. And she didn’t doubt it would be hard but she would do it. Anything for Elsa.

Elsa staggered forward and collapsed into Anna’s arms and as Anna cradled her sister, kissed her forehead, and stroked her hair, Elsa muttered her apologies over and over. Finally after she said her last “I’m so sorry”, she stepped back and said, “There is one thing I need to do though. For you.”

“Do what?” asked Anna.

“This…” Elsa waved both hands forward and a pair of columns of ice and snow erupted from the floor. As they rose, bits and pieces fell off them and dissipated while her magic sculpted and moulded them. When it was done, Anna’s mouth dropped as she gazed upon her sister’s work. Standing before her were two humanlike beings, six feet tall, armoured in thick ice from head to toe. Etched into their shields was Elsa’s characteristic snowflake. An ethereal blue light glowed from the eye slits in their helms. Silently they went down on bent knee in front of Anna, the tips of their icy swords pointed against the floor. To Anna, they were the epitome of the valiant knights she read in her childhood tales, nobly fighting to defend their lady. And her dear beloved sister made two for her.

“These are for me?” she asked breathlessly. “Oh wow…but what about you? Aren’t you going to need someone to protect you?”

Just as Elsa was about to reply, they both heard a booming roar in the distance. A roar that sounded like “Mother”. A roar that almost sounded familiar.

“Is that…?” Anna asked at the same time as Elsa said, “What…?”

Then suddenly they heard a crash outside the palace that shook the floor with a violent force. The two sisters exchanged a quick look before they sprinted out the room.

*             *             *

After thinking both Elsa and Anna wouldn’t like seeing him lurking outside their room, Kristoff managed to get Olaf to leave by inviting him to see Sven. As they walked, Olaf asked, “So what do you think they’re talking about?”

Kristoff just shrugged his shoulders and said, “Beats me. Could be anything.”

“But Elsa didn’t look happy so it must be something bad, right?”

“Probably. A lot of bad things are happening now with this kingdom.”

“Yeah…” Olaf said sadly. But then his voice sounded happier as he said, “But Anna and Elsa will fix it! I know they will. When they’re together, they can do anything!”

Kristoff knew Olaf meant to cheer him up but the thought of the sisters in a relationship like that kinda ruined the effect for him. Especially since, well, Anna left him to be with Elsa. He could deal with breaking up with Anna but he wasn’t sure he could with her finding someone so soon. Especially when said someone was her sister.  A part of him was glad that she took the time to end their relationship before starting another one and another part of him was upset that the reason why she ended their relationship was so she could start another one. So overall he was just confused.

Family members falling in love and having relationships were not completely unfamiliar to Kristoff. Most of his family were, at least, cousins of some sort with each other and there were a few sibling couples. But often it was done to produce an offspring. Furthermore, they were…trolls. He didn’t know if there were other trolls like them anywhere else. Both Anna and Elsa, even with her amazing ice powers, were humans and just the idea of human siblings forming this kind of relationship was just foreign to him. He supposed “foreign” meant different things to different people but he was sure that besides the two sisters and Olaf, sisters loving each other that way was definitely foreign.

But if he was a man of good heart, the man Bulda and Cliff raised to be, then his concern for Anna should be her happiness. And nothing else.

“Kristoff?” Olaf said, startling him from his thoughts.

“Ah yes?” Kristoff said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Oh I was wondering what you thought about Elsa and Anna together. Aren’t they the most darling couple ever?”

Kristoff just nodded, hoping it was enough for the snowman. Thankfully it was as Olaf grinned brightly. They were half down the stairs when they heard a crash outside the castle.

“What’s that?” asked Olaf.

“No idea…” he replied. “Let’s find out.”

They rushed down the stairs before running off towards where Kristoff thought the noise had come from. As they ran, they could hear the roars of an old friend.

“Is that Marshmallow?!” Olaf asked excitedly. “I think it is!”

Kristoff tried to smile but he was sure it ended up looking like a grimace. But who couldn’t honestly blame him? Being thrown around like a ragdoll by a giant snow golem wasn’t exactly a fond memory for him. They burst through the gates and into the courtyard and sure enough, surrounded by a small ring of nervous soldiers, was Marshmallow.

“Where is my mother?” he asked, barely noticing the crossbows and spears pointed at his direction.

Standing among the soldiers was Kai, who noticed Kristoff, walked towards him, and asked. “Mr Bjorgman, Is he…referring to Her Majesty?”

Kristoff nodded, looking at Marshmallow.

“Very well, I shall retrieve her,” he said, before dashing back inside the castle.

“Yeah, you…you do that,” Kristoff said feebly, still staring at Elsa’s creature and wondering just how it managed to get in here. Most likely explanation was that he jumped over the walls. At least he was kind enough to land in the courtyard where he wouldn’t crush any buildings.

Moments later, Kai returned with both Elsa and Anna and two ice knights. The two sisters first gazed silently and open-mouthed at Marshmallow. Then, walking towards her creation, Elsa asked, “What…What are you doing here?”

“I thought Mother needed help,” the golem replied in his gravelly voice. “Thought Mother was in danger.”

“Well, I’m glad you came,” she said. “I think Arendelle could definitely use your help.”

Seeing that he was no threat to either their castle or their queen, the soldiers lowered their weapons and went back to doing whatever it was they had been doing. As Elsa continued to talk to Marshmallow, Anna joined Kristoff and Olaf and said with a note of discomfort, “Well…he’s back.”

Kristoff nodded again. They were all thoroughly surprised when Elsa turned to them and called, “Anna? Guys? Don’t you want to come down? Are you okay?”

Although Olaf eagerly walked forward, Kristoff held him back. “I’m fine, Elsa!” Anna replied. “Just…last time I saw him, he threw us out of your palace. And chased after us. And kicked Olaf off a mountain.”

“He _what_?!” cried Elsa, whirling on the snow golem who started cowering. “What did you do to my sister?!”

“I’m sorry, Mother…” Marshmallow said. Near him Anna chuckled and Kristoff couldn’t help but share in her delight. The sight of the giant powerful Marshmallow being scolded by Elsa like a mischievous child was just too much for him. It certainly made him less terrifying.

“Don’t apologise to me,” Elsa scolded. “Apologise to Anna.”

“Yes, Mother,” he said shamefully. Then he turned to Anna and said, “I’m sorry, Auntie Anna. For scaring you.”

Hiding her chuckles, Anna did her best to look stern and assertive as she said, “Apology accepted…Marshmallow. But you must also apologise to my friends.”

He could see Elsa mouth the word “Marshmallow” towards Anna as the golem said, “Sorry, Anna’s friends.”

“It’s okay, Marshmallow!” Olaf said. “I forgive you!”

Kristoff just smiled weakly. Then the Lord Commander approached Elsa and the two of them began a muttered discussion, likely over how best to use Marshmallow in their defences. Meanwhile Olaf went towards Marshmallow to bond with him, leaving him alone with Anna and her guardians. For some reason, Kristoff found them rather unsettling. Maybe it was because they looked almost too human. Or maybe it was because they didn’t make a sound when they moved and it didn’t seem like they could talk. Olaf and Marshmallow, he could handle but this was something completely different.

But however uncomfortable he felt about them, he still went with Anna when she returned into the palace.

“So…” he said as they walked inside. “What did Elsa wanted to talk to you about?”

“Oh, something really silly,” Anna replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. However this one seemed a lot…angrier than her usual gestures. “She wanted to send us to Corona.”

“Us? Corona? Why?”

“You, me, Olaf, Kai too, and a few guards. I have a cousin in Corona so that’s where Elsa thought would be the safest place for us to go. And well, she didn’t think it was safe for me here and she thought she was protecting me by sending me away.”

“But you’re not, we’re not going anywhere…?”

“Nope. I managed to convince her that the best thing to do was let us stay.”

“I’m…not sure that was the best thing,” he said as they walked into one of the sitting rooms.

“How come?” she asked, sitting on one of many sofas with her legs crossed. The two guardians stood on either side of her.

“Have you heard what’s been going on?” Kristoff asked cautiously, taking a seat for himself across from her.

“No, I’ve been in bed almost the past four, five days, remember?” Anna replied, leaning back.

“I know but like…did Elsa tell you anything about what she’s been doing?”

“No, she hasn’t…” she said very slowly. She now leaned forward towards him and he could feel her eyes piercing through his. “What _has_ she been doing?”

Kristoff realised that he had made a mistake but it was too late to stop now. Even if he kept quiet, Anna would eventually dig the answers out of him.

“I’ve been through some of the taverns and cafés in the city and I’ve… I’ve heard things,” he said very, _very_ reluctantly.

“What things?”

“A couple nights ago, a merchant of some sort just disappeared. His family doesn’t know where he is and since we’re under siege, he couldn’t have left the city. I mean, it could be something else but several people think the City Watch or the military or worse just took him. No warrant, no reason, nothing. And they think your sister gave them permission to take him.”

“That’s _not_ true,” hissed Anna, crossing her arms. “Elsa wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“I thought you said she would do anything for you,” Kristoff pointed out. “ _Anything_. Didn’t you say she had someone executed even though she had promised to spare him?”

“She promised to not charge him for trying to kill _her_ ,” Anna corrected. “She charged him for trying to kill me instead and executed him for that.”

“That’s a technicality and you know it,” Kristoff retorted. Realising he was sounding very harsh to her, he stepped back a little. “Look, I like your sister. She’s a great friend and a greater queen. But she has one weakness. You.”

“Are you saying I make my sister weak?!” Anna asked angrily.

“No, no,” he said, a bit of panic seeping into his voice. “It’s just…she might have had other reasons for trying to send you away, Anna.”

“Like…?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Do you know why I don’t bring Sven to my training in the army?”

 Anna shook her head.

“Well, since I have a royal position, instead of the pikemen or the archers, I train with the men-at-arms. The training itself’s not bad. You basically try all the different weapons and work on the one you like the most. What _is_ bad are the guys I work with. See, most of them are either noble or wealthy, sometimes both. So already they didn’t like someone like me training with them even if it wasn’t for that fact…you know I’m Sami.”

Anna nodded in understanding as she uncrossed her arms and brought her hands over her knees.

“So when they saw me with Sven on my first day, they laughed. At me, at Sven. Them making fun of me, I can deal with. That’s nothing. But I couldn’t stand them laughing at Sven.”

Anna once again nodded. “So you don’t bring him so his feelings won’t get hurt?” she asked.

Kristoff shook his head. “No. I don’t bring him because I don’t know what would happen if I heard them saying those things about him. There are a lot of weapons and well…accidents can happen. But I couldn’t let myself do that.”

“So you’re saying….”

“What I’m saying is…maybe Elsa is scared of what she will do for you. She’ll do what she needs to do protect you, no question about it. But it doesn’t make it any less scary for her. Just…just something to think about, okay?”

And for the third time, Anna nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I mentioned, this chapter was just a nightmare to write. Several scenes were written and then rewritten, characters were created and then deleted. It was a mess and that was partly why this took forever to get here.
> 
> For those of you wondering, Hans will try to attack the city walls soon. The reason why I delayed it so long is because sieges don't work like that. The attackers usually just wait until the people inside starve to death. But it seems that Hans doesn't have this luxury.
> 
> I can only hope that the next chapter will come sooner. Until then, I welcome any and all feedback or criticism you might have to offer.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay firstly sorry for the delay on this. I know I promised I'd be better with scheduling and ended up screwing that up. Badly. If you're interested in why, here are the reasons. First I was finishing my Elsa painting. Then Watch_Dogs happened. Then The Witcher 2. Then Max Payne 3. Then Civ V. Then the floor of my bedroom turned into a marsh and someone had to go remove all the water (and damage said Elsa painting in the process). Then the Steam Summer Blowout happened and I got Skyrim. So that went on. And then my beta reader had some problems of her own and I had to go to look for another one. After I found another beta reader (btw please welcome seasidevoiceguitar), I got ditracted some more until first my Internet THEN my computer decided to be silly and not behave. Again sorry for the delay and I really really hope I can be better with this. And thanks a lot for your patience and keeping up with this fanfic. I promise I won't be abandoning this fanfic.
> 
> Thanks as always go to [hybrid-rain](http://hybrid-rain.tumblr.com/) as always for being an inspirational sounding board and helping me come up with ideas [sporadic-tiger](http://sporadic-tiger.tumblr.com/) my first beta reader, [seasidevoiceguitar](http://seasidevoiceguitar.tumblr.com/), our newest addition to the team, and [emirael](http://emirael.tumblr.com/) for helping with the world building, and [frickfractals](http://frickfractals.tumblr.com/), [the-perfect-girl-is-gone](http://the-perfect-girl-is-gone.tumblr.com/), [izzyvonheeringen](http://http://izzyvonheeringen.tumblr.com/), [winterqueenelsaa](http://winterqueenelsaa.tumblr.com/), [patronustrip](http://patronustrip.tumblr.com/), [50shadesofelsanna](http://50shadesofelsanna.tumblr.com/), and [letusbuildasnowman](http://letusbuildasnowman.tumblr.com/) for promoting and recommending my fanfics. One thing that is truly amazing is how quickly the aforementioned list is growing. And of course, my readers for your kudos and comments. You guys are the absolute best! :))

Elsa felt like she’d just finally managed to fall asleep when she felt someone place a hand on her shoulder and gently shake it.

Assuming it was her sister in a fit of mischief, she mumbled drowsily, “Anna…go back to sleep.”

“Begging your pardon, Your Majesty,” a familiar but a male voice said softly. “But I’m not Her Highness.”

That immediately shook her from her sleep.

“Then who…” she said, turning to face the voice. She finally opened her eyes to see Kai standing at arm’s length from her, illuminated by the morning light filtered through the curtains. Beside her, Anna continued to snore peacefully.

“What is it?” whispered Elsa, collecting the covers around her, more out of instinct than modesty.

“The Lord Commander says that the invaders are preparing for an assault against the walls. He needs you. Now.”

At that, Elsa shot up from her bed and rolled off her bed, disturbing the covers. Even then all Anna did was curl tighter in a ball. Elsa leaned over her sister, shook her shoulder, and said, “Anna, wake up. Wake up, snowbug.”

Anna groaned and muttered, “Ughh…Elsa…what is it?”

“I need you to get up. We’re going to be attacked soon.”

That was enough to wake Anna up and the two quickly threw on dressing gowns before following Kai into the council room. A large map of the city was spread over the table and on top of that, handfuls of figures stood. Behind it, both the Lord Commander and the Home Secretary were present along with several other high-ranking officers. Ignoring the distinct lack of proper dress either sister had, they all simply bowed when they entered the room and greeted, “Your Majesty, Your Highness.”

“Gentlemen,” Elsa said as Anna finished strapping her sword on. “Report.”

“Your Majesty,” began the Lord Commander. “As stated in my last briefing, significant areas of the forest in the north have been cut down, we suspect, for constructing siege engines. This morning, scouts returned reporting unusually high activity in the mercenary camps in that region. To the west in the fjord, the galleasses are making their way through the paths carved by the icebreakers.”

“I see, then. Nothing from the south?”

“No, Your Majesty. It appears the enemy has withdrawn the majority of their forces there, perhaps to move them elsewhere.”

Elsa walked closer to the table to get a better look at the map. She saw how far the ice extended from her ice wall, the positions of the galleasses and icebreakers, the mercenary camps, her ice towers, and many other details.

“What will be their plan of attack, Lord Commander?” asked Elsa.

“Due to uneven terrain, we can expect sophisticated siege engines to not be used. They will attack with ladders and battering rams from the north side. At the west, the icebreakers will attempt to approach the ice wall closest to the castle with the galleasses providing cover. I should remind Your Majesty that these are only our best guesses.”

“Of course,” Elsa mused, still staring at the map. “It does make sense…” Her mind whirled with all the different ways she could counter Hans’ plans but all she had to go on were best guesses and most probable causes and outcomes. She had some knowledge of strategy and tactics but certainly not enough to make a decision she trusted. “And what would you suggest to do?”

“Archers on the northern walls, pikemen and men-at-arms at the northern gates. Another company of archers posted along the northern harbour wall and the castle walls. We still maintain ballistae in the castle towers and they will be used for our defence. Your…creation would be best suited to defend the castle but I leave that decision to you. My worry is that we will be spread too thin. The walls may tilt the scales a bit but not enough for my comfort. Begging your pardon, Your Majesty, but if I may ask…”

“You may ask later,” Elsa interrupted, knowing exactly what he wanted to ask and not the least bit interested in having that conversation with her sister present. “For now, let’s talk about how we’re handling the civilians. Secretary Hovland?” She saw that Anna, even in her “too-early-for-this” daze, looked at her with confusion. _Please, Anna_ , she thought. _Not now_.

As the Lord Commander bowed his head and took a step back, the Home Secretary stepped forward and said, “According to established protocol, we will begin relocating citizens living closest to the walls over to the castle. Given the current situation, we thought it prudent to concentrate our efforts in the north.”

“Very good,” Elsa said. “And the problematic members of our society. Bishop Mathesien, Lord Lindahl. What measures have we taken against them?”

“Bishop Mathesien continues to elude our efforts to find him since after the Royal Warehouse attack. We’ve tried to narrow down where he might possibly be but frankly we haven’t much success there.”

“But he’s still got guys out preaching in the streets,” Anna said, her first contribution to the meeting aside from muffled yawns. “Have you tried asking them where he is?”

“We have, Your Highness. We’ve detained any…disciples we’ve found but they seem resistant to our attempts to question them. Mistress Julia is having a similar issue.”

“What about Bishop Serslitru’s replacement?” asked Elsa. “Bishop Engen?”

“Bishop Engen has fallen ill or so I’ve been told, Your Majesty. Bishop Mathesien in hiding has assumed religious authority of Arendelle.”

Both Elsa and Anna looked at each other with mirrored expressions of worry as Secretary Hovland continued, “As for Lord Lindahl and his associates, we have placed them under surveillance for now. We also have a detachment of City Watch officers nearby to intervene should they make any attempt against you, Your Majesty.”

“Good,” Elsa said. “When this meeting is adjourned, begin the evacuation. Lord Commander, you will assemble your men and women and send them to their posts.” Then, addressing the rest of the room, she asked, “Is there anything else?”

They were silent.

“Very well. Gentlemen, this day will decide the fate of our kingdom and our future. We can either persevere as we have always done or lose the liberty and independence that our ancestors fought hard to give us.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, Your Highness” they chanted in unison. After they had bowed, they filtered out of the room, leaving only the Lord Commander who remained where he was.

The Lord Commander was the first to speak. “Forgive me if I presume too much, but I was hoping Your Majesty would be able to contribute to our defences”.

Elsa gave up trying to invent an excuse to get Anna to leave. She’d have to accept that Anna would hear the truth. The reason why she had difficulty sleeping last night.

“Of course,” Elsa said distractedly as she braced herself. “I can set up a defence line in front of the north walls to slow their progress. Another one around the castle…”

“Pardon the interruption, Your Majesty, but I was hoping for sentient beings. To be used in combat. Like the golem or Her Highness’s new bodyguards.”

“Ah…” she simply said. Even knowing what she would be asked didn’t make it easier to hear it nor did it help her prepare a better reply. “About that…”

She took a minute to clear her thoughts before she speaking again, “It seems that for me to make life require a constant supply of…something. Emotions or feelings, something like that. It’s difficult for me to explain it exactly. As far as I’m aware, it seems that only the strongest emotions can create and sustain life. For example, love.”

If the Lord Commander found any part of her explanation confusing, he made no sign of it. _And now for the incredibly uncomfortable and horrible part…_ , she thought, wishing nothing more than to be disappear and hopefully never appear.

“Olaf the Snowman and…Marshmallow, they’re both powered by my love for my sister,” she said. “Same for her guardians. But it seems…I’ve used it up.”

She glanced to her side at Anna and saw that she was about to say something. Snapping her gaze back at the Lord Commander, Elsa quickly said, “Of course, I’ve tried to use my love for my kingdom but those creations only had enough intelligence to sense and react. Nothing more.”

In a distant part of her mind, Elsa knew that she had just confessed to not loving Arendelle nearly as much as she loved her sister, certainly not enough to be able to create forces to defend her kingdom. But it held the significance of a faint echo at the moment when compared to her sister’s feelings and reactions to what she said. She continued, “I could try to use other emotions, sure. But I do not think I would be able to control them as well. That is to say if I could control them at all. And the last thing we need is an indestructible sentient snow creature loose inside the city in the heat of battle.”

“I understand, Your Majesty,” the Lord Commander simply said. “Then, with your leave, I must go and begin preparations.”

“Of course, Lord Commander,” Elsa said. “And thank you. For…not questioning my love for my kingdom.”

He shook his head and said, “There was never any doubt in mind nor will there ever be. Arendelle will never see a finer queen and princess than the ones before me.”

Elsa tried to pretend that the tears forming in her eyes were from lack of sleep and when she tried to speak, her mouth were too dry to speak. So instead she watched as he bowed deeply before them and walked off. Now alone, she then turned to look at Anna for the first time since she revealed the truth and for once she couldn’t see anything. No sign of anger, frustration, hurt, indignation. Elsa was overcome with worry.

“Anna,” she said. “Just so you know…my love for you is eternal. Just because my stupid magic doesn’t see it that way, doesn’t…”

“No, no,” Anna said, crossing the distance between them with swift steps and taking her sister’s hands. “It’s okay, I know.”

Her eyes widening, Elsa could only mutter, “What…?”

“You know,” she said, with a faint chuckle. “For a bright _brilliant_ woman, you can be a real nimrod sometimes.”

“Anna, I don’t think you…” Elsa began but Anna didn’t let her finish.

“You keep putting more and more weight on your shoulders when you don’t need to. We’re about to fight for our kingdom and you’re worried that I would get mad or something because I don’t think you love me enough. It doesn’t matter if the rules for your magic say your love for me can let you make only one ice soldier or a thousand. The fact that you, the most perfect and amazing queen in the whole wide world, love _me_ is all that matters. It’s all that matters to me at least.”

And looking into her eyes, Elsa finally found something in Anna. Acceptance. And at that instance, the frustration as she conjured rows of lifeless ice soldiers staring back at her with empty eyes, the gnawing guilt that kept her up at night as she thought what it meant for her feelings towards Anna; they all disappeared.

Anna brought Elsa’s hands up to her face and pressed them against her lips. “Okay?”

Elsa nodded, letting a few tears drop from her eyes. She withdrew one hand from Anna’s clutches to cup her chin and gaze at her, taking in her sister’s beautiful face.

“Okay,” she said, feeling her lips curve into a small smile. But it quickly disappeared. “But today we need to fight. And we need to get Marshmallow.”

Anna’s expression became serious. “And Marshmallow’s with…”

*             *             *

“Do you have to go?” Olaf asked sadly. To Elsa, it sounded like an echo from her memory.

“I’m afraid so,” Elsa replied.

The golem was almost halfway out through the door but both sisters were still kneeling in front of Olaf.

“Both you and Anna?” he persisted, his voice breaking.

They nodded.

“Bad people are coming to our city,” Anna explained. “Bad people who want to do bad things to me, to Elsa, to Kristoff. To all of us.”

“And you have to stop them,” Olaf said.

It wasn’t a question but again both sisters nodded. Elsa tried her best to reassure the snowman. “We’ll be okay,” she said. “Marshmallow will be with me and Anna has her two knights and Kristoff.”

“And you’ll be safe here,” Anna continued. “No one has been able to get inside this castle for hundreds of years.”

Shaking his head, Olaf said, “But I want to stop the bad people, too.”

“I know you do,” Elsa said. “We both do. And you stopped the bad people once. You saved Anna’s life, remember?”

“But this will be different,” said Anna who knew that Olaf was going to continue protesting. “It’ll be far too dangerous for you. And we don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“But I don’t want anything to happen to you two,” Olaf said, his eyes widening. “And Marshmallow. You’re all that I have.”

Swallowing the bubbling emotions in her mouth, Elsa said, “We’ll be back. All of us. We’ll all come back just for you.”

Then she pressed her lips on Olaf’s small forehead, right between his eyebrows. And when she looked up, she saw Olaf had managed to smile at her. A weak smile but a smile nevertheless and despite everything that has happened and that will happen soon, Elsa felt a warmth glow in her heart. Anna kissed him at the same spot and squeezed him tightly in a hug. Then the two sisters got up and walked towards the door.

“Bye, guys,” he said hoarsely, waving his twig hand.

“Bye, tiny brother,” Marshmallow grumbled, waving his hand back, before he left the room.

“We’ll see you later, Olaf,” Anna promised before following him out.

“You’ll be fine,” Elsa said, giving him the same reassurance her father gave her years ago. With that, she walked out of the room. But just before she sealed the door with ice, she heard soft cries behind it. It was a sound she never ever wanted to hear again.

*             *             *

Unlike Anna, Kristoff had very little difficulty waking up so when the bells and drums tore him from his sleep, he was among the first to slip out of his bed and towards the armoury. In the first chamber, he found his suit of armour, given by the royal sisters. Nothing fancy about it aside from the fact that it had matching armour for Sven and a reindeer’s head was engraved on the chest piece. Today, however, he only had time to strap on the most important pieces before grabbing his helmet and shield as well as an axe he rather liked on his way out.

. Once assembled with the rest of his unit, their sergeant led them towards the northern walls. As he jogged with the others, Kristoff regretted not wishing a proper goodbye Sven the evening before. He wish he was with him in battle since they were always together (not in that way, obviously) but he was meant to be on top of the walls and there was no way he could ride Sven there. With longing, he imagined the reindeer braying sadly in the stables for him.

He shook his head to clear the thoughts. He needed to focus. Otherwise chances are he wouldn’t make it to see Sven. Or Anna. Or his family. But thinking of his family made it more difficult to focus. He hadn’t…exactly told them about his new career. He could have easily gotten a messenger bird from Elsa and Anna but he didn’t. Partly because he still had trouble with the letters and he wasn’t exactly sure if most of his family could read human languages. But mostly because he knew how they’d react if they found out he was in a war. The trolls refused to take part in anything not supernatural, such as this siege, but they would make an exception for Kristoff. “Company, halt!” yelled his sergeant.

The soldiers stopped at the wall and awaited for further instructions. But before the sergeant could give them, another voice in front of Kristoff cried, “All hail Her Highness!”

“Anna?” he asked in surprise as he saw Anna climbing up the stairs to the top of the walls, accompanied by her bodyguards, both human and otherwise. She looked unusually rigid with her clenched mouth and stiff movements, reminding him of when she barged into the barn on their second meeting. She was also armoured. Not by much but enough to keep her safe. Following the others around him, he knelt down on the stone road, bowed his head, and joined the chant of “Long live the queen! Long live Her Highness!” He wondered if Anna was going to give a speech.

But what started as a passing joke turned into a very real possibility as he watched her turn to face the soldiers gathered below her. _Oh, Akka, she’s actually going to give a speech,_ he thought to himself. Even from the bottom, he saw that she looked like she might puke any minute. For a few tense minutes, they all waitedfor her words.

“I…I’m not very good at this,” Anna began and Kristoff felt his stomach drop. He looked around the crowd and although no one was actually chuckling or anything like that, it wasn’t difficult to think some were amused with her start. And not in a good way. “I know my sister is much better at giving speeches than I’ll ever be. …In fact she’s much better than me in almost everything.”

Typical Anna. Can’t even give a speech without saying how awesome her sister is.

“But even though she’s just…incredibly powerful and talented, she can’t do everything…by herself. She still needs people to help her take care of Arendelle. People like you.

“Behind me, there are people coming to hurt us. Hurt my sister, your queen. Hurt your parents, your children, your loved ones. All of us. But my sister is going to do everything she can to stop them. And so am I. But we can’t do it by ourselves. We need you to help us. So what I’m asking is… are you going to help us?”

“Yes!” shouted Kristoff and to his surprise and joy, he wasn’t the only one. His answer was joined by everyone around him as they cheered for their princess and their queen. He saw as Anna smiled at the excited response and felt his heart lift with pride.

When the cheers started to die down, officers began shouting orders and Kristoff and his company was sent up the wall to help the archers. It was clear that Arendelle had been expecting an attack for some time. Piles of rocks and quivers of arrows were placed along the length of the wall in a way too organised to be done at the last minute. There was also a thin layer of ice covering the higher part of the wall. Kristoff squeezed his way through groups of archers stringing their bows or testing their aim and found a spot some distance from the gates.

“Anyone using this place?” he asked the nearest archer who was busy inspecting his bow.

He looked up, shook his head a couple times, and then went back to his bow.

Shrugging, Kristoff set his helmet and his shield down and sighed, staring at the slopes in front of him. It seemed he was stuck between two archers who were about as interested in conversation as Sven was in meat. This was going to be a long wait until the attack began

“Mind if I join you?” he a voice that sounded a lot like Anna’s.

Nearly knocking his helmet off the wall, he whipped around to see Anna and her guards approach him. The two archers on either side of him, bowed their heads and muttered “Your Highness”, before wandering off.

“Yeah, sure,” he said, trying his best to look calm. “Take a…something.” He gestured uselessly at the space where an archer once stood. Kristoff guessed the guy didn’t want to be too close to the princess. Maybe because he thought it’d be too awkward to fight so close to her.

As Anna settled next to him, Kristoff noticed that besides her bodyguardsthere were two other men with her,both of them seemed rather old. At first he thought they would be too old to fight but he knew better than to judge people by how they looked. He was about to ask Anna who they were when she said, “Kristoff, meet my fencing instructor, Lord Halvert.”

A lean man in black leather with a very trimmed beard, bowed his head, extended his hand, and said, “A pleasure. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Recognising the name from Anna’s stories ], Kristoff shook his hand and said, “The same to you.”

Anna continued the introductions. “And this is his partner, Lord Trym.”

The other man, a broader man with greyer hair than Lord Halvert’s and sideburns to match but in the same clothes, leaned forward and held his hand out. “Nice to meet you,” he said.

“And you, too,” Kristoff responded, shaking his head while privately noting that this moment was one of the few moments when he was treated like…well, like an equal. When he let go of Lord Trym’s hand, he asked, “Did you come to the walls with Her Highness?”

“You don’t need to call me that,” Anna grumbled, hitting him softly in the ribs with her elbow. Kristoff winced even thought it didn’t hurt.

“Yes, we did,” Lord Halvert answered. “Or to be more precise, we arrived shortly after the Royal Party did.”

“So Elsa was here?” Kristoff asked.

“Only for a few minutes or so,” Anna replied. “She looked at the walls, talked with the officers a little bit. Oh and she put some really nasty surprises for the guys out there. She’s back at the palace now to defend it.”

Kristoff tilted his head up as he thought about the mercenaries’ plan of attack. He then opened his mouth to ask what sort of surprises Elsa had and to tell her what a great speech she delivered when a cry came from one of the towers.

“Enemy approaching! Sixty yards away!”

As the low tolling of bells followed, archers around him rushed to line up against the wall.

“Well, thank God for that,” muttered Lord Tyrm as he put his helmet on. “Hate to be all dressed up for nothing.”

His partner did the same, but before Kristoff grabbed could put his on, Anna rushed towards him and hugged him tightly.

“Good luck,” she said.

“You, too,” he said.

She took a step back and said, “By the way, I’m glad the armour fits.”

He cracked a small smile and said, “Thanks. And thanks again.”

“No problem. Also, next time don’t leave your helmet on the parapet. Someone could knock it off.”

“The what?” he asked, feeling a bit confused before realising what she meant. “Oh, so that’s what they’re called.”

Anna nodded before she took her shield and slipped her arm through it. Kristoff placed the helmet on and lowered the visor over his face. He was surprised just how well he could see out of the slit. Finally, he grabbed both his shield and his axe. As the bells continued to ring and echoes of horns being blown passed through his helmet and into his ears, he tightened his hold on his shield. He felt his nerves burning themselves raw. Every instinct he had screamed at him to run, throw his axe and his armour down, go to Sven, and find a way to get the hell out the city. But he promised to fight for Anna and he was going to keep his promise so he told the instincts to just shut up.

And then he saw them.

“Archers, nock!” an officer shouted.

The morning mist parted to reveal a massive crowd marching towards the gate. Kristoff’s mouth opened in shock for a second before he forced it closed _Where did they get so many men?_ he asked himself as his instincts began to cry again.

“Archers, draw!”

The soldiers hastened their pace, screaming taunts and battle cries as they ran on the snowy slope. It wouldn’t be long before they reached the walls. Suddenly icy spikes grew out from the ground like daisies, not ten yards from the wall. Their cheers quickly turned into painful yells as those in the front line were impaled by Elsa’s barrier.

“Loose!!” went the shout, swiftly followed by the sharp whistles of arrows and bolts flying through the air. The mercenaries’ cries grew louder and more agonised as the front line was further disrupted and reduced. While he didn’t think they would give up easily, Kristoff had to hand it to them. This level of determination was something he never expected. Even as the archers continued to shoot at them, the mercenaries quickly regrouped and attempted to protect themselves as they hacked at the spikes. . _Certainly gold couldn’t do_ that _much_ , he thought.

Even as the few mercenaries who managed to break through were swiftly shot down, more and more poured in. A harsh whistle travelling an inch from his ear tore him from his thoughts and acting upon instinct, Kristoff ducked. He then peered over the ice that covered the top of the wall and saw that they were firing back with their own archers. Seconds later, there was the wham of something hitting someone to his left followed by the rattling gurgling of a man’s last breaths. The unpleasant and sickening sound made Kristoff’s stomach turn.

His officer shouted, “Archers, return fire at will! Everyone else, take cover!” _A bit late on that call_ , Kristoff thought.

As both sides exchanged bolts and arrows, Kristoff stayed tucked behind the parapet, wincing whenever he thought an arrow flew too close for comfort. He took a glance to his right and saw that Anna kneeled behind her ice knights. She glanced back at him and tried to smile at him but it looked rather tight to him. He smiled back before he remembered his helmet covered almost all of his face.

. “Ladders! Prepare to repel!” came another cry.

“Great,” Kristoff muttered as he pulled himself up. “Here we go.”

He heard a clank in front of him and suddenly the top part of a ladder appeared before him. Sliding his axe down his belt, he picked up a rock that weighed a little more than a troll child. But before he could drop it on the soldier climbing up,, he saw someone aiming his crossbow at him. He let the rock go and quickly ducked again. The bolt flew harmlessly over his head. Standing up, Kristoff saw the soldier still climbing up. Deciding that pushing the ladder off was the best option, he grabbed both sides and pushed with all of his might. But the mercenaries below must have secured it really well because it didn’t budge at all. Giving it as a lost cause, he stepped back, took out his axe, and prepared for the upcoming attack.

The soldier stepped down with his sword already drawn and swung down on Kristoff who blocked it easily enough with his shield. He attacked back with a swing of his own and the two began an exchange of attacks that were either dodged or blocked. Finally, Kristoff landed a blow, knocking him back a few feet was far enough where Kristoff could swing and maybe even end this fight. Yet even as he pulled his arm back, he wondered if he was ready to take a life.

But Kristoff didn’t have time to think about it anymore; another soldier had managed to climb up the ladder. Kristoff turned to face him, wondering how he was going to fight two guys at once, when the soldier stepped on the icy parapet and fell with a scream, most likely to his death..

Meanwhile his first foe recovered and lunged forward with his sword. Kristoff again side-stepped the attack but this time he stepped to the left and swung his axe at his head. The blow knocked the man from the walls, joining his comrade below. Underneath the noises of the battle, Kristoff thought he could hear a sharp crack. _I… did it_ , he thought, too shaken to feel pride or guilt.

“You all right, Kristoff?” he heard Anna call out.

He turned to face her and saw that her sword had blood on it. He didn’t know what happened to the other guy but if Anna was still alive, she must have defeated him. Behind the princess, her guards and her fencing instructor were busy with their own opponents.

“I’m fine,” he said. He peered over the wall and saw the invaders still approaching. “Just trying to hold them off.”

Anna nodded and said, “Try pulling the ladders to the side.”

“What?” he shouted.

“Don’t push them off. Pull them to the side…likethis!” But before she could show him just what she meant, a mercenary slipped past her her ice knight and raised his mace up to strike. Kristoff opened his mouth to warn her but she didn’t need him to. She whirled around to block the attack with her shield and fought back. Kristoff looked at the ladders and did what Anna suggested. Putting his axe in his belt again, he stood so that his right side was facing out and took hold of the same ladder he tried pushing earlier but this time he pulled it towards him. The ladder slid across the ice easier than he thought, and when Kristoff let go of it, he was “rewarded” with the sight of the ladder crashing into another one, before tumbling from the walls and down to the invaders below.

He took his axe out and found Anna still fighting her opponent. with another one dropping down and preparing to attack. Kristoff immediately rushed towards him…and so did one of her ice guardians, who reached him first. And Kristoff thought going against Marshmallow was scary. The man was first disarmed. Literally. And then the ice knight drove his sword through his chest and pulled it out. Even before the body fell, he turned away to seek for further threats against his mistress. All of it done within seconds. Kristoff nearly dropped his axe in shock but instead he gripped it tighter in his hand and, began looking for places where he could help. This was going to be a long day indeed.

*             *             *

“ _FIRE!_ ” the officer cried.

One after the other, the ballistae on the _Tilbel_ fired. Even as the burning ceramic pots soared through the air, engineers were already busy reloading the weapons., Hans watched the pots smash themselves against the ice wall, splashing it with an alchemical solution similar to kerosene only stickier before igniting. The resulting flames flashed purple for a brief second before shifting to orange and yellow.

The _Tilbel_ , along with the other two galleasses, had started their barrage early this morning and while the wall still stood defiantly before him, he could see water running down the sides of the wall and thin sheets of ice falling. _Finally_ , he thought. _Progress._ The forces attacking the northern wall had been augmented with another company of mercenaries bought with Lord Gyldenløve’s funds, giving him an additional four hundred men. He didn’t expect many of them to last the day nor did he particularly want them to. Lord Gyldenløve would undoubtedly give him an earful if they did.

“Do you think they’re weak enough?” he asked the specialist by his side who was peering at the wall through a spyglass.

The old man, eyes still focused on their target, shook his head and replied, “I’ll give it another hour or so.”

“By then, we will have lost the element of surprise,” Hans protested.

Although he wished he could see her face as he and his small fleet sailed right past the wall defending their palace and for the harbour walls..

“I’ve prepared for that possibility and many others, my lord,” the specialist insisted. “I can read them all to you if you like.” His hand drifted towards his coat pocket.

“That will not be necessary,” Hans said. “But I thank you for your assistance in this matter.”

“Well, thank _you_ for the money. I suspect should we both succeed here, I’ll gain more than just gold.”

 _Indeed…_ Hans thought. Gold was nice and all for men like the self-taught physicist and mathematician, Mr Gotteman, but a recommendation from a prince of the Southern Isles was priceless, especially in the eyes of the academic clubs in Europe. If they won here today, Hans would not be the only person to be elevated into existence. But they had to win the battle first.

“My lord,” Mr Gotteman said. “There appears to be a new development…”

Hans took the spyglass and pointed it in the indicated direction. A small group of men gathering on the harbour walls, likely just arriving from the castle walls. There were no more than ten, all on the northern side, which meant the majority of the Arendellian forces was either on the northern city walls or behind the harbour walls. He particularly noticed two braziers, each carried between a pair of men and another man holding a furled red flag in his hands.  

“Can we reach them from here?” Hans asked.

“You’re welcome to try,” Mr Gotteman replied passively. “But I doubt you’ll hit them.”

Ignoring his advice, Hans went ahead with it. “Archers!” he called. A row of archers stepped forward towards the railing. “Nock, draw, loose!”

The arrows soared through the air, reached their pinnacle, and descended into somewhere behind the first wall. They probably didn’t even hit the inner wall. Mr Gotteman turned his head towards Hans with a gloating smile just barely visible on his face. With nothing more than a scowl, he waved his hand dismissively at the archers.

An hour or so passed with little trouble. The only break Hans received from watching the constant bombardment of the walls was a message from his forces on the northern wall. Apparently the Arendellian defenders were putting up a valiant effort to repel them, aided by strange ice creatures. The message was still lacking in details about those “strange ice creatures” such as just how many of them there were or what exactly they were and could do. He made a mental note to instil observational skills into future appointed officers as he crumpled the message and tossed it over the railing.

“My lord,” called Mr Gotteman. “It’s time.”

Hans nodded and then turned to the signals officer and nodded at him. The officer bowed his head in reply before lifting a whistle to his lips and blowing through it twice. The shrill noises were carried to the other two galleasses and all firing ceased. Hans looked up and saw the man standing on the crow’s nest unfurl a makeshift blue flag and wave it in long slow motions. Satisfied with that, he looked back down to see that the two ballistae, both some distance away from the amidships, were being nocked and drawn but not to be loaded with more burning pots.

Meanwhile the two galleasses cleared out and one of the icebreakers, _Yvsenia_ , was being rowed in front of _Tilbel_. With some manoeuvring expertise, the icebreaker was positioned perpendicular to the galleass. The ballistae were loaded with a large harpoon and aimed carefully at the weakened wall under the supervision of Mr Gotteman and the firing officer. When everything was to their satisfaction, the command was given and two whipping sounds combining into one noise later, the harpoons were launched and dug themselves into the ice. The engineers tugged on the ropes and for a frightening moment, Hans pictured the harpoons falling from the wall. But evidently despite the damage his small navy wrecked, the ice was still thick enough to hold the harpoons.

Anchors were casted off from the _Tilbel_ as the men on board the _Yvsenia_ stretched out wooden hooks on either side of the ship towards the suspended ropes. Once secured, they were attached to the railings and the majority of the crew vacated the icebreaker, leaving only a skeleton crew to man the oars. With the wind blowing eastward, _Yvsenia_ should gather enough speed to impact against the wall with considerable force. And the strengthened bow and the addition of a primitive crude ram, perhaps even with enough force to breach through the outer wall. But _only_ the outer wall.

Which was why the lower decks of _Yvsenia_ , from bow to stern, were filled with barrels of the same alchemical solution that were in the ceramic pots hurled against the ice wall for the last two hours with. The ram itself was coated with the stuff as well.

Hans looked around to see that everything had been prepared. Without a helmsman, _Yvsenia_ would be kept on course with the parallel ropes. Minutes before impact, the oar crew would start a delayed ignition of the solution at both ends before evacuating the boat, allowing the icebreaker to glide the remaining of its short journey. At least that was the plan, a plan that the futures of Mr Gotteman, the Duke of Weselton, Hans himself, and many others rested on.

With all eyes on him, he took a deep breath and yelled, “Launch!”

*             *             *

Elsa saw the lookout waving the red flag, her eyes closely following the direction he was pointing at. Then concentrating on it for only a brief second, she pointed her hand towards the spot. Her magic shot forward from her fingers and spikes of ice emerged from the frozen harbour, all sharp and thick enough to pierce through a ship’s hull and all pointing outwards. Hans had pulled a nasty trick by choosing the harbour over the castle, causing that portion of the army there to dash after him and his fleet. She could have easily created an ice bridge from the castle but the pace her soldiers would have to take to avoid slipping would completely negate the difference in distance travelled. And her Lord Commander refused to allow her to arrive before her guards. He also didn’t allow her to go up to the harbour wall to see what the enemies were doing, despite the fact that she would be perfectly poised to counter any moves to her greatest abilities. After all, what was the point of her powers if she couldn’t defend her kingdom with them?

The sentry continued to wave his flag, his motions increasingly more frantic. Elsa took it as a sign that he wanted to come down. Whatever it was, she and the Lord Commander had to know _now_. So with her right hand, she conjured a staircase from the wall, taking care to make the incline gradual to ease his walk. Meanwhile her left was busy erecting more barricades and defences. True, she was rather doubtful anything Hans had could go through _two_ walls of ice but earlier she didn’t think Hans would try to take the harbour. She wasn’t taking any more chances with the man.

By the time the sentry had reached the bottom, she had created a semi-circular wall of icy thorns from either harbour lighthouse behind the spikes. At various points behind _that_ , she made small towers with a spear on two sides, all of them facing the point where the lookout indicated. Each one was imbibed with enough intelligence to launch the spears upon seeing the invaders. Although to support all of those defences Elsa was forced to thicken the ice they were resting on significantly, the area between her army and her defences was rather thin. And should she need to, she could dissipate the ice, allowing them to plunge into the cold depths below. All of these promised nothing less than a painful demise for the mercenaries, a fact that remained rooted in her mind.

“Your Majesty!” called the Lord Commander. “You might want to hear this.”

She whirled to see that he was with the lookout who was apparently in the middle of his briefing. After giving her defences a last glance, she made her way towards them as fast as courtesy would allow her. When she arrived, the Lord Commander said, “Now, soldier. Tell the Queen what you just told me.”

“Your Majesty,” the man said hastily. “The icebreaker, they’re sending it towards the wall. They mean to ram it.”

“Ram it?” Elsa repeated, her eyebrows narrowing in confusion. “But _how_? The outer wall is at least a foot thick.”

She turned her focus back at the wall and strengthened it so that now the inner wall grew yet a few more inches in thickness. Her mind swirled as she tried to predict Hans’ next move.      

A sudden ominous crash was all the warning Elsa or anyone else got before the small parts of the ice wall tumbled down the wall. At first she was utterly confused as to how this was happening, but as the wall grew more transparent, Elsa could see the bow of Hans’ icebreaker draw closer to them, flames shining through the ice and leaping from the boat. Not only did the flames melt the ice wall directly but also the ice below it, causing the wall to break apart and drift away. There was another sharp crack as a large portion of the wall slid down to the bottom with a cloud of snow and a storm of shards.

“Fall back!” shouted the Lord Commander. “Fall back now!”

Ignoring his commands, Elsa ground her teeth as she concentrated her magic into repairing the damage, trying to fight against the heat from the burning icebreaker. She did have the power to freeze it completely but without the focus to control her powers, she would freeze everything and everyone around her. Her soldiers retreated to safer ground and her carefully crafted defences melted into puddles of water. Her ice wall had been reduced so drastically that little more than an inch of ice was left when the charred ram crashed against it.

“Your Majesty, it’s too late,” the Lord Commander said as the icebreaker veered sharply to the right.

“No, I can still…” she snapped, still trying to rebuild her creations from their ruins. “I can still do this.”

“Your Majesty, you must leave,” he continued. “ _Now_.”

He placed his left hand on her shoulder and with a cry of shock, jerked it away. Distracted, Elsa whirled to see his glove covered in ice. He quickly tore it from his hand.

She gasped and stammered, “I’m sorry, I’m so…”

“It’s fine, just get out!” he said.

She joined him as they retreated from the harbour wall. Elsa looked over her shoulder just in time to see the ship finally capsize, spilling gallons of the flammable solution into her harbour.

*             *             *

Through the spyglass, Hans carefully watched the progress of his icebreaker with bated breath. He felt the briefest relief when the ship rammed against the outer wall but he dared not to exhale in case all of his hopes were misplaced. His fears proved to be unwarranted, though, when he the ship lit up in flames and continue through the inner wall. And for the first time since this damn campaign began, he smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So one of the greatest challenges writing this chapter was how to limit Elsa's powers. After much thinking, I came to the conclusion that while Elsa has plenty of raw power, she has more difficulty controlling it. And I reasoned based on her ice castle and the Great Thaw, that she needed love (either for herself or Anna) to have any degree of control. The current situation hasn't exactly contributed to any sense of love so she can't just unleash a blizzard or freeze everything around her unless she also wants to freeze Arendelle again. Yet. As for her creating living creatures, I decided to put a limit on that as well using the logic that only her love for Anna can make sentient beings. The fact that she "ran out" of love for her seems a bit of a cop-out but my argument is that Elsa's magic requires an unspecified toll to be used and she hasn't discovered that yet. I just hope that these handwaves are enough for you.
> 
> I would say I can only hope that the next chapter will come sooner. But...school is starting in like a week and I'm kinda behind in some shit. So until then, I welcome any and all feedback or criticism you might have to offer.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liveeeee.
> 
> Okay but no joke. I've just been swamped with schoolwork, studying, and tedious tedious tedious exams. Ughhh but I managed to get this out to you guys. Please welcome back, [sporadic-tiger](http://sporadic-tiger.tumblr.com/), as my patient beta reader. Thank you, all of you, for your continued support whether it is leaving a critique or a kudos, bookmarking it, recommending it for the pleasure of others, or any combination thereof. Thank you so much.

Anna heard the soldier’s roar, saw his enormous axe coming down at her, and hopped back, watching the axe crash where she stood just seconds before. As he lifted the axe and thrust, she stepped to the side and swatted his weapon aside with her shield, following with a thrust of her own. Hers had better luck than his and the blade went through his wool coat, between his ribs, and into his flesh. Crying in shock, the soldier dropped his axe and fell to his knees. With a hint of regret, she pulled her sword from him and turned away from her defeated and dying foe.

Within the first minutes of battle, Anna had quickly realised that the corrupt officer had been right. The fancy duels filled with politeness and courtesy in tournaments were worlds away from the gritty bloody battles she fought on this wall. All around her were the sounds of yells, cries, metal clanging or bashing against each other. The noise only grew worse when the invaders brought their battering ram. The sounds of each impact hurt Anna’s head so much she might as well as been hit by the ram itself. And the smell. God, the _smell_! The air reeked so strongly of sweat, blood, and other foul things that every breath almost made her gag.

Looking over the battle either side of her on the wall, Anna knew that they needed to win this battle soon. Otherwise they would get tired soon. She made her way towards the, or rather _her_ , commanding officer with her ice guardians. Gareth led the way to clear a path for her while Bob followed behind, stepping backwards with his shield raised. Thanks to them, she managed to reach the command tower with no trouble.

“Commander, what’s the situation?” she asked once she entered and saw him looking at a map. When he started to bow, she waved her hand dismissively. There were times for courtesy and this was not one of them.

“Putting it lightly, Your Highness, it’s not good but not as bad as it could be,” he replied. “The mercenaries are pressing against us but at least we’ve managed to contain them around the gates.”

There was a nervousness in him and Anna felt like he wanted to say something but wasn’t quite sure if he should. So she began for him, “But…?”

“But my men at the gates are telling me that they will break through within the hour. I was actually about to summon you when you came in.”

Anna wasn’t exactly sure why. She would be the first person to say she had no idea about battles and wars. Yeah as a kid, she read stories about them but they never told her how to actually _fight_ one. But maybe he needed to move her, either somewhere safe or just somewhere she could help out more.

“So you need me in the gatehouse then or…?” she asked.

The commander nodded and said, “I don’t wish to order but I think you and your retinue would be more useful there than on the walls.”

“Of course, Commander,” Anna said. She wasn’t exactly sure why he was so nervous about that since it was obvious he was better at this than she was. Otherwise, he’d never been given this position. “Whatever you think will win this battle sooner.”

“Very well. I’ll remain here to direct our forces on the walls. An officer will be waiting for you below and he may advise as necessary. Good luck, Your Highness.”

“You, too,” Anna replied and she caught his curt nod before she turned around and left to gather her guards and friends.

Much to Anna’s relief, they were unharmed aside from bruises and scratches and more than willing to join her at the gatehouse. The situation there was as she imagined it if not a little better. The gates were splintered and cracked and it was clear that a few more hits would break it down. The defenders seemed to have given up trying to repair them and were preparing to welcome them with pikes and bolts instead. A man with those fancy red shoulder things stood behind everyone, barking orders. A man she figured to be the officer her commander told her about. He noticed her come down and immediately walked towards her.

“Your Highness,” he greeted, bowing before Anna could stop him. “Captain Andreassen. What brings you here?”

“I just want to help,” Anna said, more honestly than she thought was right.

“Of course, Your Highness. But perhaps it might be safer if you…”

“No,” Anna interrupted. “My people need me to defend them from these people and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

The captain frowned and looked like he wanted to argue his point further but another boom from the battering ram changed his mind.

“Very well, Your Highness,” he said. “You don’t seem too bad in combat anyway. Just be careful. Your sister and the commander will have my head if you get injured under my watch.”

Anna scoffed and said, “No need to worry about that. You’ve got other things to do so I’ll just be there. If you need me or anything.”

The captain bowed once more and resumed yelling out orders as she and her little band went towards the gates. While her fencing teacher and his partner seemed calm and her bodyguards were emotionless as ever, Kristoff looked rather pale under his helmet. She placed her hand on his shoulder and asked, ‘Hey, you okay?”

Kristoff lifted his visor and smiled weakly. “Yeah, I…I’m fine,” he said. “Just nerves.”

She smiled back and nodded but before she could say anything, the line of soldiers in front of them turned to face her and immediately bowed their heads, chanting, “Your Highness.”

“Gentlemen, ladies,” she replied, nodding back at them. She walked through the ranks until she were right behind the archers. Gareth and Bob trudged in front of her while Evald and Tormond stood on either side of her and Kristoff. Her fencing instructor and his partner settled themselves behind her. Anna pulled out her sword as her muscles coiled tighter and tighter and beads of sweat trickled down her neck. Then the battering ram struck the gates and punched through them with a loud crack. On the other side, there were loud triumphant cries.

Pointing her sword upward, Anna yelled back, “For Arendelle!” Her words were repeated by her soldiers, lifting her heart for the second time today.

Her good mood quickly disappeared when the gates were pushed open, revealing a whole mess of mercenaries swarming forward. In front of her, the archers fired with a chorus of heavy whacks and sharp whistles. Even as the first line of attackers fell, their comrades still continued forward with their shields raised and huddled closer together. Anna gripped her sword tighter as her archers fired again. This time fewer enemies were shot and they continued their charge until they reached the defenders and the close personal fighting began.

At first, Anna just stood there. Anyone who slipped past the pikemen were swiftly defeated by her own guards. But before too long, she was fighting against an axe-man who attacked with wild savage swings. After one brought him far too close to her, she stepped around him and slashed at his knees. As he fell, she finished him with a downward thrust near his neck. She still flinched when the blood splashed over her chest but she recovered quickly enough.

She had just turned around when something heavy hit her on the left shoulder. _Not again!_ she thought as she grunted in pain and stumbled back. Grateful that her armour had softened the attack, she attacked back but her rapier bounced harmlessly off his breastplate. As her sword moved over his shoulders, she flicked it to her right, gaining her a cut across his cheek. Her opponent growled and attacked back with his war hammer. She raised her shield and readied herself for the blow when suddenly someone slammed into her on her right. She only saw who it was for a second but she saw enough to know he wasn’t on her side and he didn’t have long to live. She moved the body to block her opponent’s attack and thrust again, this time aiming for his throat. Instead of going through, the blade went across the side but it was enough. He made one last desperate attack, one that Anna easily parried, before blood loss overtook him.

Anna took a short moment to look at the battle around her, trying to see how her side was doing. Her eyes had just settled on a pair of fighters who looked like Lord Halvert and Trym standing back to back when her instincts screamed at her to move. Seconds after she jumped back, a giant sword slammed down against the ground that would have cut her in half. Anna panicked inside when she saw the person holding the sword grunt in frustration and walk towards her. Her opponent was armoured from head to toe and his sword probably weighed more than _she_ did. She tried looking for any weak spots in the armour while weaving and dodging around the boulder of a man.

There weren’t any. No matter where she placed herself and no matter where she struck, none of her attacks seemed to do anything to him except when she hit him in the back with her shield. She supposed she could dance around him until he just dropped from exhaustion but he didn’t look he was slowing down and he wasn’t the only person she had to fight. She was stepping around him for the twentieth or so time when her foot slipped on something wet. While she stopped herself from falling completely into the blood, she still landed awkwardly, leaving her vulnerable to an attack. As he lifted his sword up, she raised her shield and braced herself, hoping that it would be enough. The sword fell, not onto her shield like she thought, but onto an ice sword stretched several inches above her.

Gareth forced the locked swords upward and away from Anna before fighting the armoured mercenary for her. Grateful that someone else was fighting him, Anna looked for Bob, just in case another person showed up who Anna couldn’t fight. She found him fighting against _three_ enemies and moved towards him to help out. But she hadn’t moved five paces before another mercenary came towards her. Compared to the last guy though, this one was much easier to deal with, armed with a sword like hers and barely armoured. Their fight only lasted for seconds before Anna ended it with a stab through the chest.

She had just pulled the sword from her defeated foe when two more mercenaries charged at her at the same time. _Really?_ she thought exasperatedly, trying to figure out which of the two would be the easiest and quickest to defeat. She had just decided on the one holding a spear when both of them suddenly stopped. Fearing the worst, Anna stepped to the side and turned her head so she could still see them and whatever was behind her. Much to her relief, it was Gareth lumbering forward, his armoured foe presumably defeated. She turned back to face her opponents to see them walk away from them. At first Anna didn’t know if they didn’t want to fight or just didn’t want to fight _him_ but when she looked around, other mercenaries began doing the same. Some even dropped their weapons before they fled. She wasn’t sure what to make of this. Sure she was, for the most part, winning her fights but she hadn’t thought her side was actually _winning_.

Squealing in delight, she wrapped her arms around the closest being, which happened to be Gareth, and watched as the rest of her soldiers chased the invaders from their gates. Then she suddenly remembered she had completely forgotten about Kristoff since battle started.

“Kristoff!” she called, leaving her ice guardian’s side and looking around. She hoped she wouldn’t find him among the countless bodies on the ground. “Kristoff!”

“Here, Anna,” a voice replied. She looked to find him leaning against the wall and immediately rushed towards him, sheathing her sword and dropping her shield as she did. They hugged as best they could and she held on to him for what felt like forever. When they finally parted, Anna looked over the Ice Harvester. His armour was dented in quite a few places with some blood splashed on it for good measure. His hair was slick with sweat and grime. Honestly…

“You’re a mess, Kristoff,” she declared.

He chuckled and said, “Well, you’re one to talk.”

Anna looked at herself and saw that she looked as bad as Kristoff. _At least I’m not worse than him_ , she thought, rubbing her forehead. Then she looked around her, watching the soldiers busy with their tasks with falling spirits. Just because the fighting was over, it didn’t mean that the work was done yet nor any easier. The fallen were retrieved and placed in lines leading from the gates that were being patched up. Wounded from both sides shambled around until they reached the arms of medics or just collapsed where they were. A small bundle of mercenaries who had given up sat off to the side, bound and guarded.

“Your Highness!” called Captain Andreassen.

Anna turned towards him just as an injured mercenary stumbled into Kristoff. She placed a hand on Kristoff’s shoulder before going to her captain at the foot of the stairs.

“Captain,” she greeted as he bowed. “Report. Please.”

“The mercenaries are withdrawing their attack. For now, at least. But the commander thinks they’ve had enough for today.”

“How many did we lose?”

He frowned as he said, “Around a hundred. Maybe a hundred twenty. But for every one we lost, we took four from them.”

“But we can’t leave the bodies here!” exclaimed Anna. “They’ll stink up the place and spread disease.”

“I know. Which is why the commander will allow a few representatives from the mercenaries to collect their dead. As for ours, he seemed to think Her Majesty has something prepared for them while the siege continues.”

“Great, okay,” said Anna. “Does…the commander need to see me?” she then asked, eyeing the stairs anxiously.

“Not unless you have something to tell him. Do you have something to tell him?”

“Umm, nope. Nothing at all.”

“Well, then…” he began when his voice faded away. He looked up and Anna’s eyes followed his gaze. Then they widened and Anna jumped back as a bird fell right in front of her feet. Poor thing had an arrow stuck through him but he flew on just to deliver the message tied to his claws. She carefully slid it out and read with widening eyes.

“Elsa’s ice wall…” she said. “It’s been breached.” Realising what _that_ meant, she gasped, “Elsa!”

Shoving the note into the confused captain’s hands, she dashed off to where she hoped was the stables. On the way she brushed against Kristoff, shouting an apology as she flew by him. She heard him cry “Oh come on!” but he faded from her thoughts when she skidded to a stop in front of the stable master.

“A horse. Quickly. Now,” she said in between breathes.

“Of course, Your Highness,” he said with a bow. “It’ll only be a moment.”

 _God, I hope so,_ she thought, her heels bouncing up and down. A hurried movement behind her drew her attention and she saw Kristoff running towards her.

“Anna, what happened? What’s going on?” he asked.

“Elsa,” she replied. “Her ice wall. It’s been breached. She needs my help.”

“What? How?”

“They set their ships on fire and crashed them to the wall, I think, or something like that. Doesn’t matter now. I need to go to her.”

Kristoff nodded before shouting “Stable master, fetch two horses!”

“What are you doing?” Anna demanded.

“What does it look like?” he asked in reply. “I can’t let you go alone. The last time I let you run off on your own, you were nearly killed.”

“I won’t be alone. Gareth and Bob will be with me. Besides don’t you have orders or something?”

“Not if the Royal Princess says otherwise.”

Anna glowered at him but before she could do anything else, the stable master _finally_ returned, leading two horses with him. Deciding to bring the smelly ice harvester along, she mounted her horse and waited. As soon as he was properly mounted, she squeezed her lower legs and they rode on, followed by her ice guardians. The streets had long been emptied of anyone except soldiers and City Watch officers and they were too busy running about that they completely failed to notice that the princess of Arendelle was riding through protected only by an ice harvester and Elsa’s creations. Then again it probably helped that she didn’t have a long line of guards trailing behind her. They had just reached near the city square when Anna heard a new set of bells ringing. She coaxed her horse into a halt and listened closely. It wasn’t the low tolling used by the military but the fast shrills of the City Watch. They sounded like they were coming from the south, far from where she wanted, no, needed to be.

“What’s up?” asked Kristoff with a hint of nervousness as if he was worried she was going to do something rash. Again.

“Something’s happening _inside_ Arendelle,” she replied. “Towards the south.”

“The south?” repeated Kristoff, his face turning pale. Anna knew why. The majority of the Sami population were housed there during the siege with the poor of the kingdom as well as the children she had rescued so long ago. “Do we have anyone there?”

“Just the City Watch. The Lord Commander didn’t think the mercenaries would attack there and we don’t have that many men so…”

Anna stopped as she realised the decision she had to make. She thought about it, biting her lips and tightening her hold on the reins. Her heart told her to go to Elsa, to help her, to save her, to guard her, whatever. But she remembered that she wasn’t just Elsa’s sister and lover. She was also the princess of Arendelle. Like Elsa, it was her duty to protect her kingdom from harm and if she failed that duty, there was no telling what people would think of her. Or what Elsa would think of her.

Sighing and hoping to God that she was making the right choice, she said, “Change of plans. We’re going to help those people out first.”

Kristoff nodded and they began moving again. The bells continued to toll and as they got closer to their destination, they started to hear panicked cries. It wasn’t long until they found who was making them. A large crowd were running towards them driven by panic. The four of them quickly split up, Anna and Bob on one side and Kristoff and Gareth on the other, to let them through. In their craze, they didn’t seem to notice her at all. They were forced to waste a few precious minutes waiting until the crowd grew small enough for them to pass through them without trampling them. All the while Anna wondered just what had happened to cause such a fright.

Despite her immense imagination, all the situations she thought of were not as bad as the one that they faced when they arrived at the southern side of the harbour. The City Watch were battling against a new band of mercenaries, ones that looked tougher than the ones she encountered in the morning. But that wasn’t what made them scary. It was what they brought with them.

Wolves. They had _wolves_. Larger and meaner than the ones in the mountains. It seemed that each soldier had one, or at least the ones wearing black fur cloaks. As she stopped her horse to see exactly what was going on and where she needed to go, one of them turned his snout towards her and with a harsh bark, rushed towards her, followed swiftly by its human companion. She charged towards them, steering her horse so that she wouldn’t be between them. She aimed for a spot on the mercenary’s upper right chest and drew back her rapier, hoping that she’d be faster than him. She was. She managed to pierce through her target and steer the horse away from the mercenary as he fell. _One down, one to go_ , she thought when something heavy hit her side and knocked her off the horse.

Gasping in shock and pain, she leaned her head away from the snapping and snarling jaws of the wolf as her right hand desperately reached towards her sword and her left pushed the head away from her. Hot drool dripped onto her face while her nose was overwhelmed by its putrid breath. Giving up on the sword, Anna punched the wolf’s snout with all her might. The wolf howled but otherwise made no other reaction so she tried again. And again until the wolf toppled off her with a pitiful whine. Anna rolled towards her sword and grabbed it as the wolf steadied itself and charged at her. This time, she was ready to meet it and she lunged just as it leapt up. Her sword pierced between its jaws and through the top part of his head and the wolf collapsed on top of her again.

After she pushed the carcass off her, Anna panted heavily as her body shook violently. All today never, not on the wall nor at the gates, had she been this scared of losing her life. Not even against the heavy armoured guy. She swallowed her spit several times before pulling her sword out of her defeated foe. The others had found enemies of their own to fight. There was no shortage of them here. She tried to look for another wolf or mercenary but what caught her eye was a City Watch officer crawling away from his foe, his young face stained with blood and tears. Anna rushed towards them and stabbed the mercenary before extending a hand to the officer.

“Th-th-thank you,” he said. “I…” Then his eyes widened and before Anna could stop him, he bowed despite his injuries, and said, “Your Highness!”

“Please, are you, well, can you fight?” Anna asked, even though it was obvious that he was a stiff wind away from falling over.

“Of-of course, Your Highness,” he replied, suppressing a wince. “Anything you ask of me, I will serve.”

“Good. I mean I don’t need you to fight, actually. I need you to ride to the northern wall and find either the commander or Captain Andreassen. Tell them the enemy has breached the southern wall and we need help _now_. Can you do that?”

When the officer nodded, Anna quickly retrieved her horse, thankful that it wasn’t harmed during the attack. As soon as he was mounted and riding away, she turned back to the battle. To her distress, she felt tiredness creep into her body as the long hours of fighting caught up to her. _Not yet_ , she said to herself. _Not yet_.

But despite her best efforts, every move she made felt more and more sluggish. Her fights took longer for her to finish and she relied more on either luck or her ice guardians to win. Thoughts of rest intruded her mind and it was all she could do but just collapse where she stood. But still she fought on, thrusting, slashing, dodging, and parrying. She’d just finished a duel when she heard the cry to withdraw.

 _Withdraw?!_ she thought. No way. This was her kingdom, her people she and everyone else was protecting. They were not going to just give them up especially since she’d already given up her chance to help Elsa to be here.

Anna shouted, “No! Stand and fight! Stand and fight!” but no one was listening. It took only a second for her to realise that no one knew that the princess was here and as far as they knew, she was just a random soldier shouting.

Groaning in frustration with the whole situation, she tore off her helmet and shouted again. The few officers closest to her stopped and gazed blankly at her.

“We can’t give this up,” Anna said. “We can fight them.”

“But, Your Highness,” one of them said. “Our numbers are too few and we are not trained for this.”

“I just sent a rider for help,” Anna argued. “Any minute they’ll be arriving here. We only need to hold on until then.”

“Anna,” she heard Kristoff’s voice say. “Let them go. They’re clearly exhausted and they’re right. None of them are trained to fight killer wolves or hardened soldiers. We’re outnumbered _and_ outmatched.”

She turned to Kristoff who had lost his horse during the battle and said, “But we can’t just give up. We can’t. _I_ can’t.”

“I know. But sometimes you just have to cut your losses and take what you can get. We’re not giving this part of the kingdom up forever. We’ll be back.”

Anna sighed deeply as yet again she felt herself being torn apart between two decisions. Just as she made a decision, she looked behind Kristoff and saw a disturbingly familiar sight.

“Look out!” she shrieked before she ducked, pulling Kristoff down with her. She felt the bolt fly inches above her head as they both clumsily fell. Anna pulled herself up, her eyes darting wildly searching for the shooter. She found him soon enough. One of the Duke’s henchmen from Weaseltown standing on a balcony away from all the fighting. Snarling at the coward, she quickly ran towards him, once more ignoring Kristoff’s cries. Anna saw the henchman aim his crossbow at her again and immediately dove into a roll. Again she felt the bolt miss her.

Anna was sure that he had barricaded the building he was in but that wasn’t going to stop her. As soon as she reached it, she sheathed her sword and climbed up. The climb would have been a bit tough with her armour alone but after a good three hours or so of fighting it was difficult. Still she managed and soon she pulled herself over the balcony railing. That was when the henchman attacked her with a swing of his mace. Anna dodged it and whipped out her sword. The two traded blows for several minutes but Anna knew this fight was going to end poorly for her especially if all he’s done today was just stand here and shoot at people.

And sure enough, one particularly poor attack resulted with her sword hanging limply over the balcony railing. Before she could react, the henchman raised his mace and smashed her sword against the railing. The sword broke in two, leaving her with just its hilt and a few inches of the blade. Anna gasped as she saw the rest of her sword tumble to the ground below and then turned to face him with gritted teeth. And completely forgetting that he was still armed and she wasn’t, she lunged at him. She must have surprised him because there was no way he would have just let her slam herself into him before toppling on top of him and pinning his right hand against the floor. She tried to stab him with her broken sword when she felt a pressure hit her against her side and was forced off him. She saw him standing up and stretched a hand to grab his leg but he was quicker. A kick into her side drove her a few feet into a wall. Against which his crossbow was leaning.

As the henchman walked towards her, she grabbed the crossbow and to her great relief, it was loaded. Anna didn’t know why it was loaded in the first place but she didn’t care. Her fingers kept slipping as they scurried over the weapon but just as he prepared to deliver the finishing stroke, she raised the crossbow up and pulled the trigger. With a choked gasp, her opponent dropped his mace and stumbled backwards for a few paces before dropping dead.

Anna exhaled and leaned her head back against the wall. She was _so_ tired. Her limbs felt like they were made of rocks and she wanted nothing more than to just pass out. As her eyes were about to shut, she heard the sound of horns and that pulled her back to full alert. Horns meant more invaders to finish the job here. With her sword broken and hours of fighting weighing on her, she couldn’t continue fighting. Gareth and Bob would help, of course, but as strong and powerful as they were, there were only two of them. She had no choice but to run.

As if on cue, she heard Kristoff call out, “Anna! _Anna!_ ”

Sheathing what was left of her rapier, Anna scrambled to the railing and looked down. Kristoff somehow managed to find a horse.

“Anna! There you are!” he said. “Come on, we need to go!”

“All right!” Anna said. “Just…give me a minute.”

She walked back towards the wall and with a deep breath, ran towards the railing and jumped over it. She had just barely landed on the horse when it started moving, the impact adding yet another pain to her battered body.

“Did you get him?” Kristoff asked as Gareth and Bob joined them and ran beside them.

“The Duke’s guy?” Anna said, pressing her head against Kristoff’s shoulder and wrapping her arms around him. “Yeah I got him. I got him.”

They were silent for a few minutes before Kristoff said, “Didn’t get a chance to tell you this earlier but you did good, Anna. Really good.”

“Thanks,” she said, smiling. “So did you.”

“Arendelle is lucky to…” he began but stopped suddenly.

Anna lifted her head to see that far off in the distance a short ice wall had cut through the buildings and across the road. Her eyes could be lying to her but it looked like the ice wall was getting taller.

“Kristoff…” she said but her warning wasn’t needed.

“Come on, faster,” he said to the horse. The horse neighed in response.

By now the ice wall had risen up to the horse’s height. Kristoff steered the horse towards an abandoned cart not too far from the wall which formed a nice ramp for them. The hooves clattered loudly against the wooden surface until once again Anna had the awkward feeling of floating in the air. She squeezed her thighs around the horse and gripped on Kristoff tighter, wincing as the thought of missing the jump ruled in her head. Finally she exhaled in relief as the horse landed on the other side and after a few seconds, continued its gallop. She turned around to see Gareth and Bob making the jump, Bob’s foot just barely scrapping the top of the wall.

“Clear out! Make way!” Kristoff yelled, causing Anna to look forward again. Lines of soldiers quickly moved away for them as they tore past them until they were back in the city square.

“Anna!” she heard Elsa cry.

Anna barely had time to look for her sister before she pulled off the horse and into Elsa’s chest.

“Anna, oh, thank god you’re all right,” Elsa said, pressing her head against her neck. She then pulled back and looked at her. “You are all right, right?”

“Yeah, Elsa, yeah, I’m fine,” she said. “Just tired.”

“We’ll go straight to the palace. The commanders can take over from here. Come on.”

And without another word, Elsa grabbed Anna’s hand and half-dragged, half-led her towards another horse. Her own horse. Apparently her big sister found something wrong with the other horse or perhaps with its rider. With a casual wave of her free hand, Elsa made a stepladder for them to climb. She went up first and gently yet firmly held onto Anna until she was safely seated behind her. Then with Elsa’s long line of guards and Anna’s ice guardians trailing behind them, they swiftly rode back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering Anna seems a little blasé about killing, don't worry. I'll address that in the next chapter. 
> 
> As always, I welcome any and all feedback or criticism you might have to offer.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I'm back...after a four month break. A lot of other stuff, a great deal of it bad, some quite good, but I managed to get this out. After the apparent anniversary. And Femslash February. Thank you for your continued patience with me as I try to wrap this up and your continued support whether it is leaving a critique or a kudos, bookmarking it, recommending it for the pleasure of others, or any combination thereof. Thank you so much.

Elsa waited impatiently outside their room, a snowflake floating and slowly expanding above her palm. The combined squad of both her and Anna’s guards were also with her but they stood rigidly and silently from a comfortable distance. Her emotions swirled like a storm inside her, threatening to run free and with them, her powers. The defeat today was devastating to both her kingdom and her confidence but what occupied her the most was the occupant resting in bed behind the door. Her snowflake quivered as thoughts of Anna buckled her delicate control over her powers. “Conceal, don’t feel” hadn’t been particularly wise advice but she strived some middle ground between that and letting loose her powers and freezing all of Arendelle. Again.

_Anna is fine, she’s safe now_ , she whispered to herself. _She loves me and I love her_.

But despite her self-reassurances, the snowflake still shook. Maybe not as much as before but enough for her. When it grew to twice the size of her hand, it exploded in a puff of snow. Biting her lip in frustration, she quickly waved the snow from her hand just in time for the door in front of her to open, revealing the Royal Physician.

“How is she?” Elsa asked immediately.

“Your Majesty, Her Highness is well. Mild to moderate contusions at the torso and limbs as to be expected. Her Highness reported a particular blow towards her left shoulder but it seems her armour bore most of the blow because I found no sign of fracturing there. Just a higher concentration of bruising. No other fractures I could find elsewhere but her ribs felt tender, according to her. No head trauma, surprisingly. Minor cuts along her arms but nothing severe.”

Elsa sighed in relief. “Thank you, Doctor,” she said. “I apologise for pulling you from your more immediate duties but you understand I was…”

The doctor nodded and said, “Quite well, Your Majesty. I did consider giving her a simple sleeping draught but Her Highness simply fell asleep after my examinations. Should I leave it with you in case she will require it?”

Shaking her head, Elsa said, “No, no. I’ll make sure she gets her proper rest. I’m sure other people will need it and I’m more than certain that’s what Anna would want.”

“Very well, Your Majesty. Good day.”

With a short bow, the doctor walked off. Despite what he had just told her, Elsa opened the door by a crack and peeked through to see her beloved sister nestled in blankets and getting some well-deserved rest. Content, Elsa quietly closed the door and said to Anna’s guards, “When she wakes up, please have someone tell me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” four of the guards chanted, bowing where they stood. They then took their posts at both sides and opposite of the door while the ice guardians Elsa made stood directly in front of it. The rest of the guards followed Elsa while she went to the council room where, for the second time today, her military and City Watch commanders were waiting for her. It was only mid-afternoon and already Elsa felt like collapsing next to her sister. But that would not do for a queen.

When she entered the council room, she was met with the usual greetings and quickly took her seat, noting the distinct absence at her side. “Please report,” she said.

Papers were shuffled and slid across the table before the Lord Commander stood up.

“With regret, the southern part of our kingdom has fallen into enemy hands. With almost all of the military fighting at other fronts, the defence rested upon less than seventy or so City Watch officers, unprepared to effectively deal with the invaders.”

“Do we know how they got in?” asked Elsa, one of many questions that plagued her after the day’s battle.

The Lord Commander grimaced before he replied, “From what I could determine, the gates were opened from inside. Whether it was turncoat soldiers or agents hired by treacherous lords, we don’t know. What we do know is their plan. The mercenaries encountered there were to rush as far into the city as they could and hold it until reinforcements came. It is thanks to the efforts of our men they didn’t take more from us.”

“But how could Hans’s mercenaries attack on three…” Elsa said when the answer to her question came to her. “Of course. Hans never intended to attack from the fjord. Not yet at least. The burning wreckage from the icebreaker would stop any ships from passing until it burned itself out. What are our losses?”

“Of the Army, one hundred thirty-six, Your Majesty. Most of them were from the northern gates but we can presume the soldiers at the southern gates were killed. Of the City Watch, forty-nine. Wounded, another sixty or so from both the military and the City Watch.”

“Their bodies?” she asked, her gaze turning from the Lord Commander to the Home Secretary and back again.

“Being cleaned and prepared,” replied Secretary Hovland. “The ones we could recover at least. The wounded are being treated at Eir Hospital along with some thirty wounded civilians. I understand you have special arrangements for our fallen.”

“Yes, yes,” Elsa said, lifting her mind from thinking of all the lives spent to defend her. “I plan to freeze the bodies to preserve them from rot until proper arrangements can be made and respects can be paid.”

“If we live to make them,” muttered one officer.

An uncomfortable silence fell at the table as every eye turned towards him. He looked defiant at first but soon withered under their collective gazes.

“We will,” Elsa said. “We will. Continuing with this line of inquiry, how many has the enemy lost?”

“Five hundred fifty dead,” recited the Lord Commander. “And among our custody we have some forty, forty-five prisoners of war. They have been turned over to Mistress Julia for now.”

“Good,” Elsa said, leaning back against her chair as she rubbed her left thumb over her right knuckles. She took a moment, trying her best to not look at any pair of the eyes peering at her for her orders. She felt more like an animal in a menagerie than she did a queen.

“Send word throughout the kingdom,” she said finally. “Any civilian is welcome to take shelter within the palace or in their own residences if they prefer. For those living under the enemy, let them know that we have not forgotten them and we will deliver them from the enemy soon. I want a full count of our remaining stores. Secretary Hovland, you will work with Master Englestad and see to the distribution of winter cloaks and firewood among our people. To relieve pressure at Eir Hospital, I am opening the Royal Infirmary to public use. I want new patrolling schedules and patterns and I want to see them for myself before they are to be enacted. Understood, gentlemen?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” they chorused.

“Good,” she said. “Now if you’d excuse me…”

And after gathering all the papers in front of her and without further explanation, she got up and exited the room. She was confident there was more to discuss but she couldn’t handle being in that room a second longer. Besides there were places she had to go before the day was done. As she walked from the council room, Elsa saw Kai approaching her from the corner of her eye and said, “Kai, what is it?”

Somehow managing to bow and walk in pace with her at the same time, he said, “Mistress Julia requests your presence at her office.”

Elsa’s eyebrows came together. “Very well,” she said, pushing her wandering thoughts aside. “I’ll see her now. Kai, I’ll like you to prepare an itinerary for this afternoon.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” he dutifully responded. “Which destinations?”

“The northern gates, Eir Hospital, and… And the fatality camps.”

If Kai had any objection to those locations, he didn’t mention them. “It’ll be done, Your Majesty.”  

He bowed once more and peeled off from her entourage. As they walked towards the Spymaster’s office, Elsa passed by a window overlooking what was left of her kingdom and stopped. Most of the harbour walls couldn’t be seen behind the massive ice wall she raised. The harbour was almost completely frozen from all the magic she had been using and the roofs were covered with snow. For the second time, winter had come early to Arendelle. She rubbed her hands together before turning away from the mirror.

She’d only been to Mistress Julia’s office once since she ascended to the throne so it took some time for her to remember how to get there and arrive at a hallway with several identical doors. However only one of them had a pair of men at it, lounging casually against the wall. While their hands were in their pockets and the two were engaged in casual conversation, their eyes darted all over the deserted hallway. One of them saw Elsa and her guards approaching and hit his partner in the shoulder. Both men straightened up and faced them.

Undeterred, Elsa continued walking until one of them opened the door for her. The door was swiftly closed behind as soon as she passed through. Her attention focused towards her spymaster standing behind her desk. On top of said desk was a box of some sort.

“Your Majesty,” Julia greeted, curtsying. There was something off about her voice. Normally clean of all emotion except amused disinterest, there was a slight heat in her words that Elsa had never heard before. “Apologies for the inconvenience, but this required your most urgent attention.” She gestured at the box.

“Well, what is ‘this’?” Elsa asked, approaching her desk.

“A gift sent from the _Ordo_ _Malleus_ ,” Julia said.

Her eyebrows furrowing, Elsa carefully opened it and peered inside. She quickly covered the sudden gasp leaping from her mouth upon seeing a man’s severed head inside. The eyes and ears had been removed, leaving dark holes coated with dry blood in its place. Most repulsive yet curious was the little seedling poking between his lips. With trepidation, Elsa gently pulled back his lower lip, just enough to see that his mouth had been stuffed with dirt.

Jerking her hand back, she tore off her glove and threw it into the roaring fire to her left before turning back towards Julia. “This was your seed in the cult,” Elsa said.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Julia said, her voice taking a dark tone. “As to how they knew, I suppose that’s a mystery we won’t be solving anytime soon.”

“You mean to say the cult were responsible for allowing our particularly unwanted guests in?” asked Elsa.

“Perhaps,” Julia simply replied, closing the cult’s “gift”. “As of now, I’m still as much in the dark as the rest of us.”

“You haven’t heard back from your seeds?”

Julia shook her head. “While I don’t doubt I will eventually hear from them, I’ve had nothing but complete silence so far.”

Elsa’s eyebrows furrowed once more and by that rate, they were going to be stuck like that permanently. She sat down at the chair in front of her with a sigh, shifting her seat an inch away from the box.

“It could have been worse,” the spymaster said.

Looking up with astonished eyes, Elsa repeated, “It could have been _worse_?”

“Our protocols during a city assault is to move all civilians closest to the walls to the palace. But because we thought they weren’t going to attack from the south, we only moved the people in the northern half. If we’d also evacuated people from the southern half, what’s to say the infiltrators would have engaged in some act of sabotage?”

After reflecting on it, the queen sighed and said, “I suppose that was a distinct possibility. But I can’t dwell on what could or couldn’t have been. The people will be looking at me to make a move now that I’ve lost half of my kingdom. Otherwise they might just give Hans the other half and my head with it.”

Julia nodded sympathetically.

“I’m planning to visit a few areas in what’s left of my kingdom,” she continued. “The northern gates, the hospital, and the casualty camps. I’d… appreciate some eyes with me.”

“Expecting trouble?” asked Julia as she slid a piece of paper across her desk and began to make some notes, all the while her brown eyes still upon Elsa.

“Obviously,” the queen replied. “But I prefer if the trouble isn’t given a chance to happen.”

“I understand. Also, Your Majesty, there’s another thing I must tell you about. Regarding a certain personage…”

*             *             *

Hans rode upon his horse through the opened gates with his chest puffed out in triumph. The fact that he still had the other half of Arendelle and the palace to conquer and the sisters to subdue hardly mattered to him. What mattered this very moment was that he succeeded. What he couldn’t achieve through charm and duplicity he did through force of arms and, well, more duplicity. He rode past his mercenaries lining the streets while crowds standing behind peered anxiously between them.

He turned to the nobleman by his side and asked, “Is it common for people of Arendelle to greet their king with such little fanfare?”

Lord Gyldenløve replied, “Patience, Your Majesty. I daresay many of them are in shock over the swiftness of your victory. They will welcome you properly in no time.”

Hans simply shrugged. Before long they had arrived at Lord Lindahl’s substantial estates where they were greeted by a whole slew of banners proudly flying the arms of almost all of the Arendellian nobles. In front of the assembled men stood the lord himself. A tall, slightly pudgy man dressed in red that made Hans think of a rooster. He bowed deeply, with his fellow nobles and entourages following suit.

“Your Majesty,” he said when he recovered. “An honour and a pleasure to meet you properly.”

“Lord Lindahl,” Hans greeted. “I thank you for your support in our struggles against the Queen.”

“Of course, of course.”

Hans dismounted from his steed and together they entered into the lord’s substantial house. The lord led him to a large parlour. The fire was already roaring, surrounded by chairs arranged in a semicircle. The centre chair was of better quality than those on either side of it with furred armrests. In front of the fireplace was a small table with several glasses on top of it. Lord Lindahl waved his hand towards the centre chair before sharply turning his gaze to a corner and snapping his fingers. Just as Hans walked and settled into his seat, a valet appeared from somewhere with a bottle and began pouring a rich golden liquid into the glasses. Meanwhile more men filed into the room, including Lord Gyldenløve, Bishop Mathesian, and Director Fossen. Eventually all the chairs were filled and the glasses removed from the table into the hands of the new authorities of Arendelle.

Lord Lindahl stood up, glass in hand. “Before we begin, allow me to make a toast,” he said, turning towards Hans. “To His Majesty, King Hans. Long may he reign.”

“Long may he reign” echoed the men present while Hans smiled thinly at his host and raised his glass before sipping from it.

After the lord pulled an impressive draught from his cup, he sat back down and said, “Now, to the affairs present.”

The conversation or rather conversations swiftly began, many of them bleeding into each other to create a cacophony. Often Hans was asked for his input or support in debates that made the arguments between his most belligerent brothers look civil. But eventually after a considerable time had elapsed and a couple of bottles of brandy were consumed, the foundation of the new government was established and written for posterity.

“Very good, gentlemen,” Lord Lindahl announced. “I do believe it is time for dinner. Now we’ve managed to secure an excellent selection from the Snow Queen’s hands…”

But before the lord could finish, the door into the room burst open and Klaus stormed in with a furious rage, his face as red as his coat.

“They killed him!” he roared to no one in particular. “My flesh and blood, and they killed him. That monster witch and her harlot sister!”

Hans winced at the volume of his voice but otherwise made no reaction. Not even as he waded and shouldered through the men with his arms outstretched and tense. Yet for a minute, Hans thought Klaus meant to strangle him and for a minute it seemed Klaus wanted to. But then he collapsed to his knees right at Hans’s feet and buried his head in his hands, his sobs nevertheless still audible. Hans did what he could. He took the man into his arms and patted his shoulder while bidding him assurances.

“We’ll avenge him,” Hans said, his promises whispered into Klaus’s ear. “Don’t worry. We will triumph over those sisters. And you shall have your vengeance.”

“What, whatever you need,” Klaus managed to say between sobs. “Our father’s resources are yours. As long as I kill the witch.”

“And they will be put to good use, I swear,” Hans said. He stood up, bringing the bodyguard up with him. “Come, get yourself cleaned and have dinner with us. Afterwards, I believe we will be planning our next military course and I welcome your input.”

“Your Royal Majesty, a moment,” came a voice. All eyes turned towards the bishop, who for the most part was rather quiet.

“Yes, Your Excellency?” asked Hans.

“There is one matter I believe requires your most urgent attention.”

Hans’s eyes flicked from the bishop to Lord Lindal who looked rather taken aback.

“I was hoping to settle that matter later…”

“But this poor man’s plight has made me realise its importance,” Bishop Mathesian interrupted.

“Very well,” Hans said, suppressing a sigh. “What is it?”

Instead of a reply, Mathesian simply asked him to follow him and follow Hans did. He, his host, and Klaus. They didn’t have far to travel when they came upon a rather simple door, the most remarkable detail of which was that it was currently guarded by a single man. Upon seeing them, the guard immediately opened the door while the bishop lit a lamp. The light illuminated a cellar, in which three figures could be seen, bound and gagged.

“And who are these?” Hans asked, staring down at them from the top of the stairs.

“Heretics, Your Majesty,” the bishop replied harshly. “They still worship the false queen and remain loyal to her.”

“I see…” Hans simply said. And though he could guess the answer, he asked, “What would you like me to do with them?”

“Punish them, Your Majesty,” Bishop Mathesian stated. “Their souls must be purged with fire before they can be saved.”

The bishop’s answer did not disappoint but it nevertheless bothered him. It was plainly obvious the bishop was not willing to settle for anything less and from the way the morose look on Klaus’s face was replaced with gleeful anticipation, it was clear he found the bishop’s suggestion most favourable. At the same time, death by fire was an agony he was hesitant to give even to the Snow Queen and her sister. Never mind how his new subjects would see this act especially his trepidation reception into the city. Yet on a similar notion, though the act may be frightening and appalling, it may encourage those still under the enemy to turn against her…

With a nod, Hans said, “As you wish.”

*             *             *

Her eyes still closed, Anna woke up from her slumber with a loud yawn, pushing her arms away from her.

“Elsa! Elsa!” she heard Olaf cheer. “Anna’s awake!”

She then felt the vibrations made by his tiny footsteps on the mattress waddling towards her before feeling the snowman’s body snuggle perfectly against hers. Anna opened her eyes just in time to see Elsa approach them and give a hug of her own.

When they had all let go of each other, Anna took her time to look around her, noting that the sky outside was bright orange with a small layer of dark blue on top. “What time is it?” she asked.

“A little past eight,” Elsa replied, settling down on the bed. She leaned towards Anna to brush some errant strands of hair. “How do you feel?”

“Still a little sore. And…” Before Anna could finish, her stomach grumbled. She followed that with a small shrug and chuckle.

“I’ll have that handled,” Elsa said, getting up. “Give me a second.”

Anna’s eyes followed her sister as she went the door, gave a whispered command to whoever was out there, and then returned.

“Someone’s going to be here soon with some soup for you,” explained Elsa.

“Thanks, Elsa,” Anna said, smiling contently at her.

Elsa shook her head. “No, thank _you_. You did a great job defending Arendelle. Far better than I did today.”

Anna felt warmth creep up her cheeks at the praise. It was one thing for the military officers or even Lord Halvert to tell her she did a good job. It was something completely different to hear those words from Elsa, mostly because Elsa wasn’t like everyone else. Every word of her was genuine…which made it more difficult to hear her blame herself for the day’s events. As if Elsa was supposed to protect the entire kingdom all on her own, even with her powers. But being reminded of her “great” deeds suddenly made her smile droop, prompting Elsa’s eyebrow lower.

“Anna, what’s wrong?” she asked, scooting a little closer to her sister and placing a hand on her shoulder. Anna tried smiling at Elsa but it did nothing to convince her that something was bothering her.

Anna sighed. “I killed today,” she admitted, twisting the comforter in her hands. “A lot of people. And I…I didn’t feel bad about it. But I should, shouldn’t I? I know that I did it to help Arendelle and protect people and all that but I still killed people. It’s still a sin,” she finished softly, looking down at her knees. The thought of looking at Elsa suddenly became too painful for her. She then felt Elsa’s cool hand trail down from her shoulder to her elbow and then up again. At first she tensed at the sudden sensation but she gradually relaxed, feeling her worries slowly slip away.

“Anna,” Elsa said, continuing to stroke her arm. “I had to freeze almost two hundred bodies so they wouldn’t rot while we wait for the siege to end. But we would have lost much more if you weren’t helping us. You didn’t kill those soldiers for money or for power or for pleasure. You did it for love. Love for this kingdom, your friends, for Olaf here. And your love for me.”

Anna smiled again and this time it felt real to her. “I know,” she said, holding Elsa’s hand against her arm. “I’m just worried, s’all. I don’t want to end up this monster who enjoys killing. You know, like _him_.” His smile still haunted her at times, the way he leered at his sister as he was bringing his sword down on her. She’d rather die than have Elsa see a smile like that on her face.

“Oh, snowbug,” Elsa said. “I promise you, you are not be going to be like him. In fact, I will make sure it never happens. Provided that you stop thinking like that.”

“If it helps, Anna,” Olaf said from his corner of the bed. “ _I_ think you are and always will be a good person.”

Anna grinned at the little snowman. The little snowman always had a way of making her feel better. She leaned forward to pat him in the head. Olaf took the gesture as an invitation for another hug.

“So what’s been going on?” Anna asked over Olaf’s head, squeezing his body against her chest. “You know, while I’ve been sleeping. Where’s Kristoff?”

“Kristoff is getting his rest right now,” Elsa replied. “Or so he said when I saw him an hour or so ago. He’s been transferred to your guard. The Lord Commander is with his fellow advisors devising a strategy given the change in our situation. The Home Secretary and the Royal Treasurer are busy making sure all the rations are going as smoothly as possible. And Mistress Julia is going through all the stuff in Director Fossen’s office.” At the last sentence, Elsa sounded displeased, as if his name was a piece of spoiled food in her mouth.

“Fossen…the Foreign Affairs guy, right?” Anna said, distinctly remembering the rather unpleasant fellow. “What happened to him?”

“Apparently he’s been working with Hans ever since this entire siege started and probably before then and we would only just found out about it.”

“What?!” Anna exclaimed, sitting up with her back as stiff as a board. She pounded her fists against the mattress, causing Olaf to leap away from her in shock. “That little treacherous no-good devious little snake!” She tried to see what other memories of the man she had. “Wait, didn’t he tell us about the _Solian_?”

“He did.” Elsa let out a very unqueenly groan. “It seems the whole incident was their plan. Weselton pays for the mercenaries to get orphaned children here pretending to seek refuge. Fossen tells us about it as part of the trap. And all of this is probably done because of Hans. But why? Why go through that entire ruse? There had to be easier ways of trying to kill us.” She looked down and pinched the bridge of her nose. Anna slouched back into her bed, equally confused, until she remembered what he wanted most. And then it made sense to her. Kinda.

“I know why,” Anna said. Elsa looked up at her. “He wants us to look bad so when he comes here, people will like him more than us. They’ll want to have him as king.”

“So this Hans person wants people to love him?” asked Olaf. “By making them hate you two instead?”

“Makes sense,” Elsa said. “We all know how good he is at deception.”

Anna nodded sadly and reached for Elsa’s hand, trying to convey all the support and love she had for her sister in that tiny gesture.

“He’s not going to win,” Olaf said.

Anna and Elsa both looked at the snowman in surprise.

“Olaf,” Elsa said, recovering first. “That’s very nice to say but…”

“He isn’t,” he interrupted in a snappish voice he used when he actually had something to say. “And do you know why?”

The sisters exchanged a quick glance before Anna asked, “Why?”

“Because he doesn’t have love. He, the people with the giant dolls, all the bad people. They don't even understand it. You two do. True love. It brought Anna back and it helped Elsa control her powers. And it will beat all the bad people.” He finished, folding his twig arms across his chest.

It was amazing that despite, or maybe because of, all that’s been going on outside the palace walls and the mess they were all in, a few words could have such a difference. Anna and Elsa both dove for Olaf to envelop him in a great warm hug. And for a minute, Anna thought he was right. That they would win in the end. But then suddenly she heard something from beyond the castle walls. Anna felt Elsa tense up in her hands and knew that it wasn’t just her hearing things. Still she asked, “Did you hear that?”

As Elsa nodded, the sound came again. The three broke apart and looked around the room confusingly as if they could somehow find the source of the mysterious sound. However neither of them could figure out which direction it was coming from until Kristoff burst through the door. His eyes widened when he saw Anna awake but otherwise didn't say much about it.

“Elsa,” he panted. “You have to see this.”

Elsa nodded and she gripped Anna’s hand for a second before letting go but Anna grabbed her wrist.

“Anna, you need to rest,” Elsa insisted.

In response Anna shook her head. Elsa gave her that resigned big sister look but nevertheless helped her out of bed and held her robe open for her. Olaf looked at them in confusion.

“Olaf, please,” Elsa said, holding Anna steady for her first few steps. “Stay here, okay?”

The snowman nodded and the two sisters followed Kristoff out of the room and down the corridor. Anna heard Elsa ask Kristoff a few times what was going on but Kristoff said that he was only told to get them. Whatever this was for, she thought, it wasn’t pleasant. Finally they saw Mistress Julia and the Lord Commander in front of a pair of doors that Anna knew led to a balcony facing the harbour.

“Your Majesty, Your Highness,” greeted the Lord Commander. “Come quickly.”

A pair of soldiers opened the door for them to walk through and Anna was greeted by a chilly breeze hitting her against her face. But the wind brought more than just cold air; it also brought the scent of burning wood. At first Anna thought another fire broke out in Arendelle but.. 

“Oh god,” breathed Elsa, placing her hand over her mouth with her other entangled in Anna’s.

A pillar of smoke coming from behind the ice wall scarred the sunset sky and while they may not see exactly what was happening on the other side, the sounds coming from there gave Anna a clear enough picture. She heard furious chanting and jeers but they weren’t loud enough to cover the screams of agony. Screams that tore through her body like lightning. _They’re burning someone alive_ , Anna thought with horror. Her great idol died like that and when she found that out, she had nightmares for months. She couldn’t possibly imagine what the people there was going through now.

Anna didn’t know how long they stood there, listening to the screams slowly die out into the night, but as the sun finally set and the sky was plunged into dark blue, she felt anger course through her. Whoever did this had to pay. Hans, the stupid _Ordo Malleus_ , didn’t matter. And looking to her side and seeing her sister’s face twisted the same way it was at Pierre Gurdon’s execution, Anna knew she wasn’t alone in that thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now I will say there will only be a couple chapters until the end. When will those be out, I'm not sure really. I will also be doing another fanfic that takes place within the events of Frozen, featuring the Royal Council and just how Hans was suddenly able to order people around. 
> 
> As always, I welcome any and all feedback or criticism you might have to offer.


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